Psst … NLRB Finds “No Gossip” Rule Unlawful Continuing its trend of scrutinizing employers' handbook policies, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recently found that an employer's "no gossip" policy — prohibiting employees from instigating or participating in gossip about the company, coworkers or customers — was overbroad and violated federal labor law. Likewise, the NLRB found that firing an employee for violating that rule was unlawful. Laurus Technical Institute, a for-profit technical institution in Georgia, maintained a "No Gossip Policy" that applied to its employees. The policy stated that gossip was "not tolerated," and that employees who engaged in gossip "will receive disciplinary action." "Gossip" was defined as: "[T]alking about a person's personal life when they are not present." "[T]alking about a person's professional life without his/her supervisor present." "[C]reatin