By J. Mason
Online Career Tips Editor
If you were to send around a survey with true or false questions about your personal life, do you think a lot of people would get most of the answers correct? If the answer is yes then you may have an issue with over sharing. It’s OK to have that one outlet at work that you occasionally vent to about your daily woes. You can tell when the information sharing becomes a problem when those less close to you know the same details, and it’s because you like to spread the information around. Giving someone too much information can be a setback in employee relationships. When you’re the one guilty of being the TMI co-worker then you’ll need to learn some repressive strategies to save face.
Joking in the office is one way to get through a hellish day. A bad way to go about joking is if you tend to insert personally demeaning, or self-aggrandizing jokes. When the remarks are sexual in nature, off color, depressing, or just plain negative it can turn people away. You’ll notice when people are offended by their response. An uncomfortable chuckle, a simple cough, an “oh, WOW!”, or something as simple as someone excusing themselves in the middle of the conversation. Be aware of these subtle clues. It may help you in scaling back in that one particular conversation.
What about when you chat with your regular lunch group, or water cooler buddy? Perhaps you talk about bodily functions, money issues, or other problems with co-workers, just remember that everyone has their limit. Even the sweetest person at work will continue to lend an ear when you ask, but they may not be going out of their way to talk to you down the road. Don’t ostracize others because you need a better outlet to sort through your issues. Take the first step and start scaling back how much you share.
If you have a significant other at home, vent most of those issues to them. Find a reliable source to go to outside of work that you can rely on for support. Bringing baggage into work is never a good idea, and you don’t want people to relay your personal issues to one another.
How did you do on last week’s bad habit, being a one-upper? If you’re still struggling to keep your name dropping to yourself then consider taking it to social media. Tell your friends through Twitter or Facebook about all the neat things you’ve experienced lately.
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