In the business world, you have to think before you talk and act. Maybe you’re lucky enough to be in an environment that is laid back and chill. Nonetheless, running your mouth about so many different things should not be on your agenda. Especially as a young adult transitioning into the working world, we’re so used to talking to our old co-workers at part-time gigs about the weekend and parties we hit up but in the bustling world of corporation and professional setting, you just can’t. Keep that conversation sacred until lunch where you can go off the air of work and talk about life yet still keep it in the back of your mind of what is and isn’t safe for work.
As a young professional, you are being set up to be graded from the get-go. You’re fresh, you’re new and you’re there to prove yourself. You have to grow up when you are in the office. Yeah, you can have some fun and games but you have to have that work hard, play hard mentality. Grow up. Act your age and get out of the high school mentality. College is long gone now(unless you’re still in school and managing both, go you!!). Don’t step into a new world and let it take away your integrity. Get your stuff together and prove you are the bomb.com. Time to sell yourself and prove to the world that you understand office politics.
Relationship Status
We all have fights with our significant others and we all have moments where we realize they’re the best person ever. That’s great but don’t spend your entire day catching everyone up on your significant other and what’s going on. Keep it small and move on, let everyone know they’re well or celebrating a new job but don’t go into too much detail like how you feel about the new job or something they did that annoyed you over the weekend. Why? Half the time no one is really interested in the details and are just listening to be respectful. The other half of the time it reflects back on you and what you chose to disclose on your life. Keep ya business, ya business. Plain and simple. No one needs to know the details and your significant other probably doesn’t want too many people in your business. Respect yourself and respect your love. Talk about it with someone you can confide in and who will actually ask questions and seem genuinely interested.
Weekend Rendezvous
So you got drunk and your head is banging… Don’t run around and tell everyone. Honestly, that reflects badly on you and your choices. So you got drunk, big deal? We’ve all had those moments but we aren’t flaunting them for everyone in the office to know about. Keep your weekend craziness to yourself or the co-worker that you are close to. Not everyone needs to chime in on your actions and have an opinion based off of what you choose to do when you have time off. It’s your weekend, do whatever you want. Just don’t get caught up with telling everyone about the drunk guy that was laying in the middle of the sidewalk or how you barfed everywhere at some party. Some details are better left unsaid.
Co-worker Complaints
Office gossip isn’t the best thing to go along with. It’ll always come back to bite you, best believe. I know so many people that have talked negatively about someone and then try to cover themselves by stating someone else started the conversation or relied the information to them. Why is that person so comfortable talking bad about people to you? Hmm… always a good question to ask. Don’t complain about your co-workers to other co-workers because you don’t know who you can and can’t trust. That person you’re complaining about to Mary might just be Mary’s good ole friend outside of work. You need to be smart about what you do and don’t say. It’s never good to have negativity within the community at work.
Facebook is an extracurricular no no…
I can’t tell you how many times I see people on Facebook especially when I’m trying to ask a question or get something done with a person. There’s nothing that irks me more when I’m trying to work with someone and they’re floating through their Facebook and ignoring everything I just said, only to turn to me after I’ve returned to my desk and ask me to repeat myself. No, no I will not repeat myself. Don’t be that person. Unless your job entails social media, don’t be stuck on your social media accounts. Even if your job is in social, stick to the social channels and log-ins that you are getting paid to monitor. You will look lazy if you’re all over Facebook, Twitter and Instagram if your job doesn’t require it.
Work is work, remember that. You are getting paid to do work and you should stick to that work. Don’t just sit around and not be productive, you have to get things done and you have to push these distractions out of the way in order to do your best. Don’t be that person that is being looked at with the side eye. These are just a few things that are not safe for work. If you get a break, go ahead and check your social media and talk about life but when you’re on that clock, you’re on the company’s time.
What are some no’s that you can think of when it comes to the work environment?
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