If you work forty-years in the workplace, you will have logged over 80,000 hours at your desk. That's a long time to be with people you may or may not like!
So how do you keep your personal life out of your professional life (and not tick-off your spouse?!?)
I've asked thousands of young professionals throughout the country their thoughts. Here are some of the tips they are giving you about keeping your life yours.
1. "Do not post anything on your blog, Myspace, Facebook or other social networking site you wouldn't want your boss to see. There are ways for them to see what you have on there and that could spell trouble." -27 Male, Entrepreneur
While social networking sites are fun places to post pictures of yourself, fun facts about your past weekend and who you hang around with, an employer may see the same site and be concerned about the way you are portraying yourself and ultimately the company. Remember, each time you meet a new person, whether intoxicated or not, usually one of the first five questions is "what do you do" and "where?" If you are backing up your behavior by displaying it to the world on a social networking site, your employer may be a bit concerned.
2. "Do not engage in gossip because you may find out that those you trusted are not trustworthy." -32 Female, School Councilor
One of the first things to consider in a new position is that you are new and people are looking for reasons to love you or hate you. Give 'em reasons to love you! Don't gossip. Ever. There are so many risks to gossip that people don't consider when doing so. You may have overheard a person venting or your boss thinking out loud, but telling the entire office about it will only cause you and your fellow employees problems. It could literally ruin a person's entire day because of one act of gossip. Not to mention you could be fired for it!
3. "Do not forward cute jokes, or other non-work related email. Better yet, if you receive such garbage, simply reply to the sender and request that your name be eliminated from that distribution list. It will make your life easier and your time at work more productive." -24 Male, Television Reporter
One of the world's stupidest inventions is the forward. I understand the business implications, but like most technological advancements, the "Forward" button is misused. If you get a funny joke from your personal friend, laugh and throw it away. Work is not a place for funny crap. It can offend people quickly, it's not productive and it makes you look REALLY BAD! Seriously. If I receive a forward, I immediately cringe. I hate them. That means that anytime the subject line reads: "FW: anything", my immediate response is cringing and then delete. Is that really how you want me to feel if you send me an email? What if you work under me? Sending forwards could actually stunt your promotion opportunities. Just don't forward.
4. "Do not create personal relationships at work. For example, keep your sex life out of the workplace." -34 Female Company Founder
If you haven't heard the mantra "don't dip your pen in the company ink," then go back and reread this sentence again. Engrain it into you head. Been there, done that and it was by far one of the most detrimental actions that stunted my career growth. It may seem like a great idea at the time, but guess what? What happens if you break up? What happens if you get divorced and one works for another? Yep, disaster. As much as you may like to, or as much as it may seem as if the person is your soul mate, DON'T DATE AT WORK. It will make you feel and look like an idiot faster than you can imagine. You'll lose respect and you may even lose your job.
5. "Do not make friends with others that are considered 'unprofessional.'" -28 Female Sales and Training Expert
Finally, if the guy in the mail room is a "really cool" or if that other sales guy is "so fun to be around," look at how your boss perceives them before you get attached to them. Ever heard of "guilty by association?" My mom used to teach me that concept when I was young. If your boss thinks that you are associating with someone unprofessional, you may as well be. Perception is reality in the workplace, especially when it comes to your bosses point of view. Make sure whomever you hang around and network with is someone you could do so in front of your boss. If you can't, then don't. You'll be looking for trouble.
The workplace is a great place to network with people. I always say that "Friends come and go, but networking contacts grow." You want to establish workplace relationships out of trust and need. If you need certain pieces of information, establish a long-term relationship with the appropriate person.
Hanging around with the wrong people and gossip won't get you ahead. It will only slow down your growth and even get you fired. Do you job and keep all interactions with another as professional and on a need basis. This will make it difficult for your personal life to enter the workplace and create more networking contacts. They will them promote you even when you are not around. It's the easiest way to spread you name in a positive light.
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