organizational - personal.

Informal Communication can occur in all aspects of life. In organizational communication, informal communication can also be known as gossip. Gossip can be referred to as "water-cooler talk" and can be passed on through the "grapevine." Informal communication, or gossip, is the person to person communication between two employees of an organization, which often is facilitated by events within the organization.

The summer before my freshman year in college, I worked at Abercrombie & Fitch. Working there, I gained a lot of respect for anyone who works in retail. The store employees many high school and college students, and is usually managed by a college graduate, who has majored in business management. 

Many of the employees work five hour shifts and cannot wait until their shift is over. It is extremely surprising how much each employee knows about one another and the managers. Often times, I would spend my shift folding clothes and working the register with one other person. Working during the day, when most other people are at work too, the store is kind of slow, which allows for gossip time. Also, since many of my co-workers are relatively the same age, it is easy to share stories during slow periods. 

Throughout my summer, I found out alot about the other people I worked with and my managers. Many times it affected how I perceived a certain person or who I spent most of my time talking to. However, I learned to not judge a book by its cover and I also learned to listen quietly while others complained. I was able to avoid my managers on their cranky days and help out as much as possible on days they were willing to pass off jobs. It is clear informal communication can be a positive and negative thing in the workplace.