There’s no doubt that we all want to do the best we can at our jobs while also making friends at work. Many people have the good fortune of having co-workers who are good friends, but not everyone has this same experience. While most co-worker relationships are friendly, you’re still limited by the boundaries of professionalism and sometimes understanding that line can be tough. Having the ability to recognize a true personal friendship versus a professional and working friendship is important, especially for understanding what never to tell your coworkers. Keeping a good watch on this line is important for deciding exactly how much you share with each other. Here’s a list of things to never tell your co-workers to keep professionalism high and the line drawn.
- Try to refrain from oversharing your personal struggles. If you’re having issues at home or personally, work is not the place to spread that information – share that information outside of the office.
- Avoid talking salaries. You have no idea what you negotiated versus the person sitting next to you – and knowing that information could make you or someone else feel terrible. Skip that topic all together.
- There’s no need to discuss someone’s age. If someone shares their age with you, that’s one thing. But otherwise, simply do not ask.
- Skip the gossip about other co-workers and supervisors. This is an important line to watch – you don’t ever want to be caught having your words repeated, twisted or exaggerated.
- Don’t get too nosey about relationships. Congratulate on personal achievements – like getting married or buying a house, but keep it simple and don’t probe.
What do you think about this list of things to keep to yourself at work? Do these topics come up at your workplace?
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