What you should not say or share at work!
Rachel Zupek of Careerbuilder.com wrote an article entitled "13 Things not to Share with your Co-Workers". After reading it I must say she makes some very good points. I also realise how much of what she says does go on in and around offices I've worked in over the years.
Let's face it, for many of us wherever we work, you're there for a big chunk of your life. Do you realise that we spend most of our time with our co-workers? That's 40-60 or more hours per week, five times a week! For some people, it's six times per week! Wouldn't it be difficult for you to not get personal at work? Wouldn't it be hard for you to not have one person who you will share more than you should with? Somehow, we all end up learning about each others personal lives, whether we want to or not!
I give credit to the person who never lets their personal life get involved with work. I don't know how you do it but more power to you! For the rest of us who fall into the trap of letting some of our personal lives slip out into the office grapevine, there are just some things you shouldn't be telling your co-workers about.
Take for example one such person who exists in my work environment. We know everything about her, and I mean everything! Things some of us don't even want to know. It's very hard for this person not to say anything, it is how she is and it is in her personality! I t's become such an everyday occurrence that some of us have learned to shut off mentally when the griping and the whining starts! If she's having stomach problems, we all know. If her offspring experiences something in the male department, we all now about it! I wouldn't even know where to begin to tell you what we don't know!
In the article I read, Ms. Zupek noted that some people like to give very revealing details about themselves in order to create an illusion, an illusion of the life they want, or might not have. I think some people are guilty of this even out of the work place! She also mentions those who love to gossip; they do this because they think it brings them closer to the people around them. Really?!
How exactly do some people differentiate between business and friendship? Some people have trouble separating the two because they have to spend so much time together on a daily basis. There are some people you are drawn to and will share some information with. And there are those who you don't interact with except on a business level, no matter what. Regardless of what we may believe, at work you have to socialize, there's no hiding from it, unless you are really an anti-social person who doesn't participate in any of the office activities. But while we do have to socialize and be friendly to each other, we must not forget that we are in a place of business. This is what Ms. Zupek is reminding us about.
Another good point that was made in the article is for us to be careful of the image we create about ourselves. Who is to know if you weren't up for a promotion but lost out on it because of some story your boss heard about you? Or if you are one of those people who love to hang out at your neighbor's desk and chat the day away, that's definitely the wrong thing to do!
Did you know you shouldn't discuss how much money you make with your fellow co-workers? I've always heard this and have never done it. You would be surprise to know how many people do this very thing. Unless of course if your company has this information posted on it's website as a general information, then that's another story. Although some workers are lucky to make more than is publicly stated!
When was the last time you visited the doctor for a checkup? Yesterday? Really, you have a kidney infection, an STD, a...ugh? TMI!!!! That's right, your medical history should not be something you talk about either! Did you know you could be looked at as 'high-risk' by your employer, given the amount of complaints and ailments you have? We're not talking having the flu or a headache or even being under the weather, we're talking letting everyone know that you're on fertility treatment, your physical condition after your medical check up, stuff like that!
Gossip is number three on her list of things not to do. In my office If any one of us wants something to be known, we know exactly who to go to. By lunch time it will be all over the building! Cry shame, there seems to be one in every work place!
If you're unhappy with how hard you have to work, or if you're not being utilized in the way you think you should be and you keep on complaining about it, then you are headed for the exit door! The best thing to do is to have a one and one with the boss!
Did you spread the word about the big 46 inch HD TV you treated yourself to over the holidays and how much money you spent? The late-model car you just brought, the third one in a row and how much it cost you to have 'the works'? Or maybe you're wearing that new leather jacket and you have to brag how much it costs? Another no-no!
What else, you might wonder, is a no-no to talk or share too much information about? Your political or religious beliefs may be cause for alienation; any major event in your life that doesn't need to be shared unless you have to; an interesting point - what you say in your blog, being a very public thing and we're talking the Internet as you know already; racially charged jokes or comments; to name a few.
To read the entire article and see the full details, please go to: Link
The next time you feel a verbal diarrhea coming on, excuse yourself and get away from your co-worker!