News media can be really depressing but, more than that, it can influence the consumer market a great deal. When people wish to be kept up to date on local activities and projects, or when they are interested in keeping tabs on instead of hearing it indirectly from their friends, they usually pick up a newspaper or turn on the television news. While the news is great for reporting on national events and live speeches, it can also make or break a business or affect the stocks of a company by spreading what may end up being just a rumor. Even when certain aspects of a story are true, controversy and scandal can lead to the appearance of the company being weak, when in fact the financial status of the business has not been affected at all. Investors are sometimes fickle, and improperly spread news can bring down a business, seemingly overnight.
Gossip and rumors are dangerous and very effective tools used by some people. Even if you know for sure that something is not the case, a well spread rumor really does taint your opinion of something or someone. Fortunately, the same tactics used by strong individuals in high school are just as useful in business today. Act as if nothing has changed, and the story will soon fade into the background.
This is easier said than done. It is extremely difficult to not take something personally. When you are being attacked on a personal level, you really must decide whether to take these accusations seriously or to blow them off as just scandal. Employees can leave a company in droves if the barrage becomes too bad.
To withstand such intense pressure, you must hold yourself and your company accountable for any mistakes either of you have made. You must stand strong, and you must have employees who will do the same thing. This is why employee drug and alcohol testing is so important. It helps to identify and weed out the weak and the disloyal. For more information on employee drug testing, call Mediscreen today: (+61) 1300 79 70 40.
