Mind your own Damn Business!

Hey guys! I wanted to talk to you about you keeping your business to yourself. Now some corporate environments are cool- others you have to constantly watch your back and stay ahead of the game. In some places facts from your personal life like the fact that your child is autistic, that you are taking care of your elderly parents, or that you have a side gig are welcomed. In other environments these tid bits of information are used against you by others who are plotting for your demise. Here are some top things NEVER to tell random coworkers.

1) Anything medical related. Everyone has a friend at work. So you tell your coworker you had to get some minor surgery and next thing you know everyone at work knows exactly what you had to have surgery on. Besides the fact that HIPPA exists, you should not and do not want anyone knowing anything medical about you or your family. EVER! Now if you are pregnant you cannot hide that, but only tell Human Resources for FMLA reasons.

2) That you are in school. I know you are excited and think this will make you more marketable in the workplace. Here is the rule of thumb- if you are in school for something completely unrelated to your current job do not say a word! If you are a teacher and going for your specialist, then this is in alignment with your current job and you can let someone know. School is a threat to many employers. Many employers feel like you will either leave or ask for more money once you get your degree. Although this may be true, do not give people more information to make their plotting and scheming easier.

3) About your relationship/married life. This is a BIG NO NO!!! I have heard Supervisors say oh yea its ok to terminate that person- their husband has a great job and she will be ok. OR She is going through marital problems and on edge so don’t listen to whatever she says. Keep your relationship to yourself.

4) Any information about your social life, vacations, and social media activity. If your coworkers think you party, all the time or are travelling every weekend they may blame mistakes you make on being distracted or in the streets too much. Some supervisor may say, you could have gotten that entry right if you hadn’t been partying all weekend. OR I saw you on face book on the beach last weekend, you and your friends travel a lot, I guess you are not in dire need of more money for a raise.

Sometimes our big mouth is the cause of our own detriment. We are just talking and think that what we say is harmless but the corporate world can be a cold place. It can be a place where people do not want you to succeed, and hoard pockets of info on you to use at a later date to discredit, humiliate, and embarrass you. So remember