It’s not surprising that many of us form close personal bonds with the people we work with. The majority of people spend a large portion of their lives at work, so it becomes important to make friends and find ways to talk openly with (at least some of) our colleagues.
Exploring the notion of workplace friendships and openness, a new study of over 1,000 UK employees from job board CV Library found that just over half had at some point discussed their personal lives with co-workers.
However, the survey also revealed that being professional was just as important to UK workers as being open. The vast majority (91 per cent) of respondents admitted that there were certain conversations that should never be had with colleagues.
Five topics you should never discuss at work
- Salaries 67.5%
- Office relationships 65.5%
- Your relationships outside of work 57%
- Why someone was let go 52.9%
- Your boss 47.3%
When asked why these topics of discussion were inappropriate for the workplace, 59 per cent of employees said that they could be seen as unprofessional. Some 22 per cent claimed these topics may cause tension or awkwardness amongst a workforce.
Commenting on the results, managing director at CV Library, Lee Biggins, said that for employers, personal friendships between co-workers was a difficult area to navigate. While you want to nurture a friendly working environment and encourage staff to get along, you need to make sure you set a good example and lay down some ground rules,” he added.
?While it may seem unnecessary (and potentially impossible) to put a cap on any chatter about your employees” private lives, if you notice repeat offenders it could be time to take them to one side to discuss what’s going on.
Negative or unprofessional conversations can cause low morale. Be sure to clearly outline your policies surrounding office gossip, particularly in terms of confidential news within the business. This could be salaries, redundancies or reasons why someone was let go.
The study found that around one in ten workers believe they should feel able to talk about anything they like with their colleagues, while 35 per cent thought that being able to speak one’s mind was important, even when at work.
Biggins went on to say: “The friends we make at work are understandably important to us. So, it’s not surprising that topics of conversation can turn to our private lives, relationships or office gossip.
But, while it’s natural that your employees will want to discuss their private lives with their co-workers, this shouldn?t come at the cost of overall productivity, and certainly shouldn?t cause ill-feeling amongst the workforce. Organising team social events or after work activities can be a great way for staff to catch up with one another outside of office hours and can help to boost morale.
