Troubled companies are often plagued with negative unverified information, otherwise called rumour mongering. This is extremely unhealthy and can be deadly and infectious like the dreaded Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus. Misinformation and rumour are very dangerous for companies. In this information era, rumours can spread at an amazing speed through modern communication facilities such as the mobile phone, telephone, fax, computers and satellites.

The rumours of the outbreak of SARS in China started in Heyuan, a small city in Guangdong Province in December 2002. The health authorities diagnosed the disease as 'Atypical Pneumonia' but the medical diagnosis was not released to the public immediately and rumours on the outbreak of a terrible, unknown disease began to spread resulting in panic buying of drugs. The crisis and panic peaked after the Spring Festival holidays and the central government had to make a public announcement of a public health crisis.

This was a tad too late as the Chinese government was then criticised by its own people and the international community for not officially warning the public of the SARS hazard earlier.

The only way to stop rumours is to let the staff or public know the truth. It is always useless to hide the facts or deny the truth as this creates the environment for rumours to flourish.

Uncertainty of the future fate of the company also results in rumours. Rumours are dysfunctional sapping away the energy of the staff. As a result, rumours rob you of constructive thinking and action. They are very detrimental to staff morale.

The most effective way to stem rumours is communicate directly with the staff. Let them hear from the horses' mouth. In some cases, as a turnaround manager, you may not be aware of the rumours that are circulating in the company. Furthermore, in the Asian culture, normally, staff do not openly let the management know the rumours in an open dialogue. In such cases, the use of a questionnaire survey may be useful in ferreting out the undercurrents and root causes of the rumours. Staff can feedback their suggestions for improvements, concerns, etc anonymously without fear of reprisal from their supervisors or managers. Corporations are increasingly supporting the whistle-blowing programs for staff to alert the board and management of any malpractices.

In many ailing businesses, where dissatisfaction and complaints abound, poison letters are also common. These are also a form of rumour. However, if the poison letter intending to assassinate somebody's character has no signatory, it is difficult to investigate or pursue the matter.

The greatest harm from rumour whether they are truthful or otherwise is the creation of negativism in the corporate environment. In troubled businesses, the dilapidating disease afflicting executives is not alcoholism but negativism.

Positive thoughts bring health, happiness and vitality, laughter and success and real life. On the contrary, negative thoughts brought about by rumour mongering create chemical reactions that result in depression, failure, sadness and even death.

Keep the brain active. Introduce aggressive marketing strategies to direct the staff's attention away from negativism. An idle mind is the devil's workshop. Try to keep the staff mentally and constructively occupied.

Therefore, squash the rumours with proper communication and action.