"First, congrats on your promotion! But what a bummer that someone in your office is trying to take the wind out of your sails (and people for some reason seem to believe her). I would confront Sandy directly and tell her that you know she's been spreading rumors about you and it not only needs to stop, but she needs to tell everyone that she made it up."
"Important: do this in writing so that you have it documented, whether she responds or not. Because what she's doing is called workplace defamation-specifically slander, which is when the defamation is spoken (not to be confused with libel, which is when it's written)-and it's something that employers should take very seriously because you have grounds here for a lawsuit, especially if you can show that you were adversely affected by her rumormongering."
The promotion reflects years of dedicated work and professional advancement. Confront the coworker directly and insist that the rumor stop and be retracted. Do this confrontation in writing to create documentation regardless of her response. The conduct qualifies as workplace defamation—slander when spoken, distinct from libel when written. Employers should treat slander seriously because employees may have grounds for a lawsuit if they can show adverse effects from the rumors. If the coworker refuses to retract the lie, escalate the matter to HR and report the behavior formally.
Read at Slate Magazine
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