Etiquette and Ethics Advice

Now What Do I Do?

Um...Rumor Has It You're About to Get Fired

By Jancee Dunn

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Q: I knew that one of my coworkers was about to be fired. He happens to be a friend of mine, so I told him the day before the firing so he wouldn't be blindsided. He thanked me, but my husband said it was wrong to tell him. Was it?

What you did was gossip, because it wasn't your information to share. There was a possibility that something could have changed before the final action was taken. Who knows? Anything could happen in 24 hours. What if you had misunderstood?
— Michele Warholic Wetherald, executive director of the American Association of University Women
If your head were on the block, you'd want a heads-up. You did the right thing. Let your husband learn how it feels to be blindsided. Don't give him advance warning the next time you find out your sister's husband has planned to shanghai your man into a Promise Keepers three-day mountain retreat. See how that goes for your hubby.
— Faith Salie, host of the public radio show Fair Game from PRI with Faith Salie

From the April 2008 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine

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