Oooh ... That's So Revealing

In my article, Sharing Personal Information at Work, I wrote about the pitfalls of sharing personal information with co-workers. Revealing too much about yourself will let your co-workers see your weaknesses. It will also put your co-workers in the position of having to keep your secret. Some may try hard to do this and may fail. Others won't try so hard and may even purposely breach your confidence. You may even become the subject of office gossip.

Having said all that, your relationships with your co-workers may be the among the closest you have. Spending eight hours or more a day with someone can foster a good friendship. Should you not share details of your private life with the person who's in the next cubicle and with whom you have lunch every day? Well, the truth is that would be incredibly difficult. Chances are you spend time outside of work with some of your office buddies. Think of how superficial those friendships would be if you knew nothing of their personal life and they knew nothing of yours. When you are deciding whether to share something of a personal nature with your co-workers, choose wisely: be selective about whom you talk to and about what information you share. Don't forget to read Sharing Personal Information at Work first. You may decide to keep your mouth closed after all.