Personal life at the office

[almaty 19]

Personal life conversations at my workplace are mostly whining about the wives. My wife made me go to the mall waaaaah waaaah.

brother arijit, i am certain you are projecting ,....and you were at the mall last week-end

yes

\

no charge..dr dean

[yassmine2878 1]

The only co-worker who knows of my personal life is my friend, J, who I've known for 25 yrs. I prefer that my co-workers don't know my personal business.

There are some here that talk about their kids and husbands constantly. It's annoying as hell. We call that group, the mommies. I have kids and a husband, too, but don't feel the need to shove it down everyone's throat.

Exactly. I get sick of the women who do nothing but b!tch about their husband and kids. If you're so damned unhappy with them, why do you have them?

I get really sick of the babblers in my office. The girl behind me CANNOT shut up for more than 120 seconds at a time. She's either babbling to herself, talking to a friend on the phone, talking to the person next to her, talking to someone who came over by her desk, sassing the boss, etc. She is incapable of closing her mouth. And we've got one of those "Space Invaders" too. She comes up to you, gets THISCLOSE to you, and insists on talking at full volume no matter what you're doing (especially when youre on the phone). And she'll tell you whatever is in her head at the moment, whether its work-related or not. She'll follow you down the hall if you try to escape. She'll carry it right into the bathroom and blather while you're pissing. You'll hear everything from the number of sheets of paper on her desk to what color underpants she put on. Its super-annoying. She has nasal-acid-baby voice too. Ugh.

I have a tendency to keep clammed up at the office. I have no desire to give these people an invitation to talk by divulging anything I did over the weekend. It would never stop.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I speak very little about my personal life at work. Most people here are the same.

I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing, but you have to be able to judge whether a person is a friend that you happen to work with, in which case I think talking about your personal life is natural. Obviously this woman thinks you are her friend, or doesn't understand the concept.

Well said. Smaller offices make it more difficult to keep your private life, private, and a lot of times one question leads another...I try to change the conversation when the questions turn to sexual positions.

Edited December 10, 2007 by Mister Fancypants

[Caladan 19]

Depends on the office culture, for me, but I think the key is to recognize the difference between an acceptable level of small talk (which can vary) and what isn't.

[Welshcookie 17]

It was drama central at my last workplace. It didn't really bother me, I was just surprised how much they talked about really personal stuff.

[Bassi and Zainab 1]

I work in an HR office. And people talk about a lot of personal things, but after working together for 20 years you've been around each other for quite a while. Also, sometimes we've bonded over sad issues in the organization like when we had to lay off 250 people. We were the "enemy" in the organization even though it wasn't our decision, it was our responsibility to execute. And the late nights of planning that led to bonding. Not everyone in the office is chatty. There are several who don't speak much at all. And they are left to themselves, sometimes they are forgotten and it's hard if you're ordering chinese food to remember to ask the people who usually don't talk to anyone in the office if it isn't work related, but I usually try to remember to ask them, just in case they want to be included. Really so that they don't feel like they are left out of some sort of clique. In our office, most personal relationships form by work unit. So, the people in benefits are close and the people in payroll are close even though people from all units talk to each other. I don't mind it because it's not overwhelming or forced on to you. I only share what I want to share and if I feel like keeping to myself I stay in my office. So there are sort of unwritten rules. LOL!

[PlatyPius 5]

Where I work, we're all friends. Plus, we all share a common interest - bicycles. Obviously, I work at a bicycle shop. I have no job title, except for whatever I create for myself. Currently I'm "Most High e-Commerce Deity". I work on bikes, I build bikes, I sell bikes, I maintain the shop's websites, I make pretty displays, etc.

We spend the day talking. We're ALWAYS babbling. Cool bikes that we've owned, how much alcohol we consumed the night before, cool bikes we want to own, make fun of our boss and call him a Jew (he is), get made fun of BY our boss (my friend Jeff), talking about computers, women, cars, and on and on...

It's a great work environment and VERY low-stress. I'd hate to work in a place where I detested my coworkers and didn't talk to anyone unless I had to.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Where I work, we're all friends. Plus, we all share a common interest - bicycles. Obviously, I work at a bicycle shop. I have no job title, except for whatever I create for myself. Currently I'm "Most High e-Commerce Deity". I work on bikes, I build bikes, I sell bikes, I maintain the shop's websites, I make pretty displays, etc.

We spend the day talking. We're ALWAYS babbling. Cool bikes that we've owned, how much alcohol we consumed the night before, cool bikes we want to own, make fun of our boss and call him a Jew (he is), get made fun of BY our boss (my friend Jeff), talking about computers, women, cars, and on and on...

It's a great work environment and VERY low-stress. I'd hate to work in a place where I detested my coworkers and didn't talk to anyone unless I had to.

Especially working that closely with one another. Cubicles make it easier to tune everyone else out though.

[yassmine2878 1]

Where I work, we're all friends. Plus, we all share a common interest - bicycles. Obviously, I work at a bicycle shop. I have no job title, except for whatever I create for myself. Currently I'm "Most High e-Commerce Deity". I work on bikes, I build bikes, I sell bikes, I maintain the shop's websites, I make pretty displays, etc.

We spend the day talking. We're ALWAYS babbling. Cool bikes that we've owned, how much alcohol we consumed the night before, cool bikes we want to own, make fun of our boss and call him a Jew (he is), get made fun of BY our boss (my friend Jeff), talking about computers, women, cars, and on and on...

It's a great work environment and VERY low-stress. I'd hate to work in a place where I detested my coworkers and didn't talk to anyone unless I had to.

Especially working that closely with one another. Cubicles make it easier to tune everyone else out though.

Ha! Cubicles just make it easier to push more people into a small space and create more noisy women.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Where I work, we're all friends. Plus, we all share a common interest - bicycles. Obviously, I work at a bicycle shop. I have no job title, except for whatever I create for myself. Currently I'm "Most High e-Commerce Deity". I work on bikes, I build bikes, I sell bikes, I maintain the shop's websites, I make pretty displays, etc.

We spend the day talking. We're ALWAYS babbling. Cool bikes that we've owned, how much alcohol we consumed the night before, cool bikes we want to own, make fun of our boss and call him a Jew (he is), get made fun of BY our boss (my friend Jeff), talking about computers, women, cars, and on and on...

It's a great work environment and VERY low-stress. I'd hate to work in a place where I detested my coworkers and didn't talk to anyone unless I had to.

Especially working that closely with one another. Cubicles make it easier to tune everyone else out though.

Ha! Cubicles just make it easier to push more people into a small space and create more noisy women.

LOL...Thank heaven for headphones that completely cover the ears....and iTunes.

[yassmine2878 1]

Where I work, we're all friends. Plus, we all share a common interest - bicycles. Obviously, I work at a bicycle shop. I have no job title, except for whatever I create for myself. Currently I'm "Most High e-Commerce Deity". I work on bikes, I build bikes, I sell bikes, I maintain the shop's websites, I make pretty displays, etc.

We spend the day talking. We're ALWAYS babbling. Cool bikes that we've owned, how much alcohol we consumed the night before, cool bikes we want to own, make fun of our boss and call him a Jew (he is), get made fun of BY our boss (my friend Jeff), talking about computers, women, cars, and on and on...

It's a great work environment and VERY low-stress. I'd hate to work in a place where I detested my coworkers and didn't talk to anyone unless I had to.

Especially working that closely with one another. Cubicles make it easier to tune everyone else out though.

Ha! Cubicles just make it easier to push more people into a small space and create more noisy women.

LOL...Thank heaven for headphones that completely cover the ears....and iTunes.

Oh you make me envious. I have to spend my day on the phone, no opportunities for shutting out the world with headphones I need a new job

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Where I work, we're all friends. Plus, we all share a common interest - bicycles. Obviously, I work at a bicycle shop. I have no job title, except for whatever I create for myself. Currently I'm "Most High e-Commerce Deity". I work on bikes, I build bikes, I sell bikes, I maintain the shop's websites, I make pretty displays, etc.

We spend the day talking. We're ALWAYS babbling. Cool bikes that we've owned, how much alcohol we consumed the night before, cool bikes we want to own, make fun of our boss and call him a Jew (he is), get made fun of BY our boss (my friend Jeff), talking about computers, women, cars, and on and on...

It's a great work environment and VERY low-stress. I'd hate to work in a place where I detested my coworkers and didn't talk to anyone unless I had to.

Especially working that closely with one another. Cubicles make it easier to tune everyone else out though.

Ha! Cubicles just make it easier to push more people into a small space and create more noisy women.

LOL...Thank heaven for headphones that completely cover the ears....and iTunes.

Oh you make me envious. I have to spend my day on the phone, no opportunities for shutting out the world with headphones I need a new job

The only phone I answer is my cell phone...I can go through the whole day without saying a word to anybody, although I'm not like that. It's nice to know I have the option though.

Edited December 10, 2007 by Mister Fancypants

[jundp 191]

I've had some jobs with a lot of down time, without a little conversation the day would miserably drag. It was actually one of those work conversations that caused me to eventually find my fiancée!

That's sweet

I work in a school, so there's not a lot of talk happening during the day because we're all kinda busy teaching. But we get together at lunch or sometimes after school. I've worked with many of these people for 7 years and we've grown close. We do share personal stories but we are all, I think, pretty aware of who is uncomfortable with something and who isn't. We've bonded over quite a few things and I think the nature of our career is such that we bond on a different level. We have had joys (marriages, births, graduate/doctoral degrees) and tragedies (students who have died, colleagues who have lost family, this year a dear colleague suffered the loss of his daughter to cancer and that had bonded our entire school community together for years). But we call ourselve X School Family and it tends to extend to alumni as well. I wouldn't trade this job for anything if I had a choice. I've though about leaving before because of bosses or colleagues or policies I've seriously conflicted with, but in the end, these people are my friends, some are family, and at least there are people I respect and love to get through the tough times with.

[Jasman0717 9]

Personal life conversations at my workplace are mostly whining about the wives. My wife made me go to the mall waaaaah waaaah.

I just wait in the car

[~krakatoa~ 27]

I usually keep mum about my personal life at work. My boss and co-workers would often throw open-ended questions at me so as to solicit info and prompt me into giving details. But I try to just give them a plain yes or no or smile and walk away like I have something far more important to do.

Edited December 11, 2007 by krakatoa