Personal life at the office

[~krakatoa~ 27]

One particular instance when I started locking my lips for more talk is when a co-worker (who happened to live in the same neighborhood) came up to me and my husband and she asked him his work. My husband was trying to be polite and replied. He's an electronics tech.

One work day my boss asked me "How are you?" and blurted out, "So you're earning more than your husband, I heard." Then questions become too nosy and personal I just learned how to shut it.

Edited December 11, 2007 by krakatoa

[Kazan' Tiger 1]

For the most part, I agree with past few threads. However, I do not want a co-worker pretending to have interest in my personal life. Nor would I pretend. I don't appreciate false patronization. If you can't be sincere, then don't bother.

Even if you don't care about your coworkers, you should pretend to care. That's how teams are built.

[sarah and hicham 3]

Everyone at my office gets along pretty well and we definitely bond over our hatred for our boss. Like others have said, we ask eachother about the weekend and talk about the holidays etc. I think it would be depressing to not know anything at all about my co workers.

[yassmine2878 1]

I don't get the "don't talk to me I'm doing my job" attitude I've seen some people post here. To me, that doesn't make any sense. You spend more of your week at work than with your family, so why wouldn't you want to get to know the people you share that workspace with? If you can see you're not going to like them, then fine, but some of you don't even want to have the occasional conversation about what you did over the weekend? Honestly, I've never even heard of that attitude.

I agree completely, Alex! I really like the people I work with and like to hear what's going on with their lives/families. I feel grateful that as I've had some really hard times over the last few years they've been so supportive of me, willing to listen and ask me how things are going. In my current happy times, they are equally supportive and genuinely happy that things have improved for me so much! We always have fun, joking around. It makes coming to work so much better. I feel so lucky that I do work with such wonderful, caring and fun people!

I agree too. Of course, if my coworkers were like Sarah's boss, I guess I'd feel differently. But we definitely share what's going on. There was one person I work with who went off and got married without telling anyone! We only found out by seeing the ring on her finger. It's her right to not share, but we all felt a little bit put off by it.

Bingo. Not all of us work with trustworthy, sweet people. They dont need to know about my personal life, nor I theirs. Its not what Im being paid for, regardless of how annoying my work is.

[Carlawarla 1]

I don't know what some of you do for a living, but sounds like you work at some nasty impersonal places!

Carla

[♥JP♥ 5]

I don't get the "don't talk to me I'm doing my job" attitude I've seen some people post here. To me, that doesn't make any sense. You spend more of your week at work than with your family, so why wouldn't you want to get to know the people you share that workspace with? If you can see you're not going to like them, then fine, but some of you don't even want to have the occasional conversation about what you did over the weekend? Honestly, I've never even heard of that attitude.

I completly agree with this. Some of the closest friends I have made over the years have been co-workers.

I think that "don't talk to me I'm doing my job" attitude is more like a "don't talk to me I'm on VJ" attitude. It's anti-social yet most of you spend so much time socializing here on VJ. Doesn't make any sense.

[Fandango 1,439]

I don't get the "don't talk to me I'm doing my job" attitude I've seen some people post here. To me, that doesn't make any sense. You spend more of your week at work than with your family, so why wouldn't you want to get to know the people you share that workspace with? If you can see you're not going to like them, then fine, but some of you don't even want to have the occasional conversation about what you did over the weekend? Honestly, I've never even heard of that attitude.

I agree completely, Alex! I really like the people I work with and like to hear what's going on with their lives/families. I feel grateful that as I've had some really hard times over the last few years they've been so supportive of me, willing to listen and ask me how things are going. In my current happy times, they are equally supportive and genuinely happy that things have improved for me so much! We always have fun, joking around. It makes coming to work so much better. I feel so lucky that I do work with such wonderful, caring and fun people!

I also agree!

My last job we were like a big family. We shared our ups and downs with each other while still doing our job. It wasn't an office setting but still. My new job that I've had for little over a month is even more like a family. I've become very close to the people I work with in this short period of time. On our breaks we all talk about our families and children and what we did on the weekend. It's a good way to build relationships with people that you are working with, that way your work environment becomes more of a team rather than a bunch of strangers trying to work towards one goal without even knowing who each other are!

That's why they have social functions such as Christmas parties and get togethers because conversation and socializing is very important for the dynamic of a workplace to run smoothly. My job doesn't feel like "work" at all, I enjoy being there each and every day and I know why....because of the people and my relationships with them.

I have to agree as well....the only local friends I have here are from my office. Obviously, my career is quite social, and building relationships with other agents is a very vital part of my business. But it makes things so much more fun when you're working a contract with someone you know and are familiar with.

At my first job as a nail tech, there were like 30 girls working there....every friday all of us would go out to dinner together after working. All of us were each other's best friends....we laughed together, worked together, cried together, went to each other's weddings and baby showers, holidays etc. Our partners were friends with each other, we knew each other's families, etc. Fridays used to be such a special and fun part of the week, and it really made work a total pleasure to go to each day!

*cue toothache*

[Jenn! 918]

When I was teaching abroad, we were all friends at work. Most of us were roughly the same age, we all lived in the same neighborhoods (our apartments were set up by the school), we socialized after work, on weekends, we even traveled Europe together. And we all had the common bond of being foreigners as well.

I definitely miss the social aspect at work. I wasn't too concerned though - I knew what I was getting into when I switched into an actuarial career. Actuaries are notorious for being anti-social (not always true, of course).

[Alex+R 0]

When I was teaching abroad, we were all friends at work. Most of us were roughly the same age, we all lived in the same neighborhoods (our apartments were set up by the school), we socialized after work, on weekends, we even traveled Europe together. And we all had the common bond of being foreigners as well.

I definitely miss the social aspect at work. I wasn't too concerned though - I knew what I was getting into when I switched into an actuarial career. Actuaries are notorious for being anti-social (not always true, of course).

Why would you ever leave that job!?!?!?!

[chri'stina 190]

In most of the jobs I've had, I've been one of the youngest people working there. So no peers really, or else peers I wanted nothing to do with, I think you'd understand if you knew them, LOL. I never made a friend at work that I wanted to hang out with after work. I liked leaving work at work, including the co-workers, and having the rest of my life with my friends and family separate. I have worked with a couple friends I already had, so of course we hung out outside of work, but that's different. I hated when there were co workers who would be blabber mouths while you were trying to get your work done or leave at the end of the day. I also didn't bring up tons of personal details, especially back when Sujeet was in India. I met some genuinely nice people, but again, not to hang out with.

I got a rude lecturing by one lady who thought of herself as my "mommy at work", in front of lots of others, about how I was marrying an Indian abuser because that's how they treat their women in India and they are all the same. That was.... fun. She had acted all happy for me earlier in the months prior, annoyingly asking me millions of questions, things I wouldn't have talked about unless she specifically asked. She turned on me one day, so crazy. She really liked me, I had worked with her for years. Most everyone hated her, and she hated them, but she really liked me because I was nice. Well after that incident things weren't the same, let's say. I was more obviously avoiding her. Not fun.

I'd rather leave work and related people at work. Since I never had a job where I wanted to hang out with the people outside of work(if I wasn't already friends with them), I am biased I'm sure.

[eric&gen 0]

I just go with the flow when it comes to personal family issues or money issues bills etc its none of there damn business. If they ask for money i tell them to go fly a kite lol.