We often spend so much time at work that a majority of our friends are tied to the work place. In attempting to build friendships, it is tempting to reveal personal details. Yet “too much information” (TMI) can be detrimental to business relationships as well as a non-productive use of time for you and the recipient.
That may sound harsh, given that we all want friends and we have a limited amount of hours outside of the office to cultivate them. Yet think about a colleague whose visits and conversations you often try to avoid. Why is that?
- Do they reveal personal information that is of no interest to you?
- Do they tend to talk for too long?
- Are they interfering with your schedule of work?
- Do you regard them differently when you know certain intimate details?
It is one thing to be friendly to everyone and another one to expose private information about yourself and your family. Even if you and the recipient consider yourself good friends, is anyone else around you also exposed to this conversation? Might they regard you in another light after hearing certain conversations?
It is the same principal as posting photos and comments on Facebook or Twitter that you would not want your boss or a future employer to access. Keep the little details of your life out of the workplace because:
- It keeps you from getting your work done as efficiently as possible so that you can leave at a reasonable hour–and then have time for friends.
- You may be taking time from someone else who is too polite to say anything or just hasn’t figured out how to avoid you–not a good working arrangement.
- You may be harming your professional image.
