Professionalism (The Line)
What exactly is the consummate professional? Where is the line for social interactions in the workplace? We all know that there are certain “taboo” subjects that are not to be discussed in a professional setting or in polite company but adhering to a strict set of obligatory rules and procedures may not be the best course of action. You don’t want to be that guy (or girl) who comes into work and just starts spewing all their personal issues and opinions all over the place. You also don’t want to go into the work place and be a robot. So where is the line?
First of all it makes sense to illustrate a few of the obvious “don’ts” before we proceed. It is not polite to discuss your sex life, political opinions, religious views or your salary at work. I have heard people argue the point that then no one will ever get to know the real you, or how can you relate to your co-workers if they don’t know anything about you? First of all you are at work to work, not to make friends, not to socialize, not to enlighten people or convert them to your way of thinking. Second of all it is absolutely possible to get to know someone with-out divulging your personal points of view and your opinions, in fact your belief system should only encompass a very small part of who you actually are (if that is not the case with you read a book or get a hobby).
There are other topics that fall into a grey area, things like personal interests, problems, opinions about other co-workers, the job itself and issues of a more sensitive nature. I do not believe that the workplace is the place where you come to vent or to air out your Audrey but for some people it is. For some it represents their only social outlet. Sometimes things are subjective; sometimes we make close friends on the job. There is nothing wrong with that but it is important to know where the line is, maintain your professionalism and use your head. It may be one thing to tell Joe your good buddy that things aren’t going great with the missus at home its another to start talking about it with your boss Mr. Smith.
Ultimately the truth is you don’t need to be best friends with everyone you work with in order to do your job well and the work place is not happy hour. After all no one has ever gotten a raise for telling the funniest joke or being the best dancer. Use your head, exercise emotional intelligence and know where that line is, it may be different for everyone but it is important not to cross it. These rules and guidelines are paramount to maintaining the appearance of professionalism.
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by Jarrad Kulick