Tricky Question - What Do You Share at Work?
By Sandy Schroeder
When you ask yourself what should you share at work, what do you do? It’s really a delicate balance, getting to know your co-workers as you share who you are. Some people share too much. Others share too little.
Dr. Travis Bradberry, co-founder of TalentSmart, an agency that serves 75 percent of the Fortune 500 companies, tackles this question with his usual skill, providing us with some wise guidelines.
Bradberry suggests using your emotional intelligence to read your co-workers, and map out the best overall approach. Bradberry cautions, “You must know where the line is and be careful not to cross it, because once you share something, there is no going back.”
Things Not to Share
Your salary – Sometimes salaries are clear cut and known, other times not. If those figures are unknown, sharing that information is probably a mistake. Once numbers are out there, an assessment of work often comes to mind, too.
Negative assessments – You may value one worker more than another, but sharing negative views of someone’s work is dangerous at best. Whatever is said may be repeated, often out of context or incorrectly. Keep your thoughts to yourself, and hope others will do the same.
Negative views of your job – Every job has good and bad parts. When you share your thoughts on the down side of your job, you have little to gain, unless someone has asked you to help with job structuring. If the job does not fit, keep looking for the one that does.
Colorful past history – No matter how entertaining sharing exciting moments from your past can be, the information will probably come back to bite you. Again, bits of information or full blown stories often become distorted as they are passed along, creating real dangers to your reputation, and possibly to your future.
Good judgment and a wise perception of your individual situation can be crucial. A small group that has worked together for years may know a whole lot more about each other than a larger, more mobile urban group.
As always, we have to use all of our abilities to know where we stand, and what we should do to keep it positive and productive. Hanging on to the good stuff often comes down to retaining respect and consideration for others, and not taking ourselves too seriously. Then we may be pleased to get the same in return.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Maple Grove, Minn.