'Smossiping', or smoking outside while having a gossip, is fast becoming the new method of relaying office news.
For one in seven workers this is the latest way of finding out what's going on. The survey of over 1,000 workers, by recruitment outfit Office Angels, reveals that 74 per cent of workers look forward to catching up with their colleagues the next day.

According to the survey top gossip hot spots include:

Canteen or local cafe (28 per cent)

Water cooler (19 per cent)

Instant Messenger/email (17 per cent)

Walk around the block (10 per cent)
A bit of harmless gossip can turn sour, however. More than a third have heard someone talking about them behind their back, 26 per cent have had a working relationship ruined by office gossiping, and over 15 per cent have been caught discussing their boss' behaviour. However, the matter has not been taken lightly for 7 per cent who've been reprimanded for taking gossip too far.

Receptionists are the ones to watch out for, seeing and hearing all. A quarter have caught their boss gossiping about a colleague - and told them. Over one in 10 of receptionists nationwide have been reprimanded for gossiping, compared with only one in five of workers on the office floor.

David Clubb, managing director of Office Angels, said: "While office chit-chat is part of working life, there can be a fine line between social interaction and nasty gossip. It is important to maintain a professional attitude at all times; starting rumours about colleagues undermines working relationships and can lead to an atmosphere of mistrust, impacting on performance. If you are seen to start malicious gossip, both your colleagues and senior management will view you as someone who doesn't think values such as honesty and integrity are important."

Gender does play its part, with 40 per cent of male office workers claiming not to gossip at all, compared with only 23 per cent of their females counterparts. Instant messaging is the chosen gossip method of one in five women, compared to one in 10 men.