How do you usually deal with rumors?

Recently there's one spreading around in my office that we're going to be merged by HK office. I can't remember since when everyone starts to talk about it all the time and wonders if they should quit before it happens or stay and see. New people sigh for unluckiness of getting in a wrong company, Senior workers start to ask about other opportunities out of here and imagine after merge we all have to move to china or HK. Sales managers promote their items dispiritedly, and even top managers give no comments on poor meeting outcome. The air stops flowing and you smell little aggressiveness in it.

On the other corner of the office, there's a small team working like hell sending hundreds of quotation sheets and samples and responding customers from US to Canada to Chile to Mexico to UK. They hardly smell any depression as the business had never been so hot before like this time. Thousands of items from more than 20 categories out of 3 countries need to be dealt with by 4 people in a couple of days time. No matter how long they over work everyday, requests seem to never stop.

So when you hear your company is going to be merged and you happen to be in that small team, what would you think? When coworkers remind you better to take actions before rumors become truth, what would you respond?

I never like rumors, cuz they're not proved yet but already cause people panic. I mean, I listen to rumors, but I only put them in my data base as information reference. Some you can just ignore, but some you need to see them seriously. This one definitely deserves some brain rolling, but resignation before it is obviously a foolish decision. Funny thing is, everytime when things go into a one way lane and worry people in my surroundings, my hero nature would always pop out spontaniously and I'd start to think of solutions to rescue 'my people'. This time I'm thinking of going to talk to my big boss, maybe to prove the rumors and also listen to his ideas on this issue. Maybe he's got a solution already and maybe he'd let things go as is. No matter what at least I can bring some info back to 'my people' and break or prove the 'rumor'.

As for myself, I'm not so worried. My boat seems still safe now, at least me and my boss got certain credibility and reputation with our business partners, and we surely know more about our territories than any new people if they bring any in after merge. There's just one thing worrying me.... that what if top management ask my boss to open an office in India and me take care of it there?

Errr...... then I might really need to consider my resignation!:P