Page 10 - Office VIBES® Magalogue Winter Issue

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The pandemic meant that you may have shared more of your life than you normally would have chosen to. From your living room decor on a Teams call or your cat interrupting a Zoom to you sharing your frustrations about having your other half at home 24/7 or fears about loved ones getting sick. You lived where you worked and you worked where you lived during lockdown and that gave others a more authentic insight into your life. Boundaries disappeared, hierarchies were removed and sharing became caring.
Prior to Covid, most people were conscious not to bring their whole self to work and kept some elements of their lives private so is it time to stop being such an open book? The workplace has a company culture and certain values to which everyone is expected to adhere to, these may have
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vanished when you were working from home but now is the time to resurrect the professional you as more and more people return to the office.
Oversharing can often come from good intentions as you try to create a more personable and friendly version of yourself. Psychology Today says “It’s often an attempt to fast-track a relationship. You’re hoping to let people in, establish yourself as an open and honest person, and create a bond.” The problem with oversharing is that it can create a negative or distorted perception of who you are as people often have different views to yours.
Your own personal brand is a narrative that you set. If you are committed to your job and want to succeed, the last thing you want to do is work hard and yet only be judged because you let slip that you
don’t need to work as you inherited a large amount of money or detest anyone who votes for a particular political party.
You, of course, want to forge positive and long- lasting working relationships with your colleagues but this should be based on respect for the work you do. Sharing some part of you is a good thing but oversharing can cause unnecessary judgement, divisions and negativity. Stick to sharing with those people you trust, apply a cautious filter to those whom you don’t know so well. Working life is one big job interview so keep the curtains closed on your personal opinions or quirks, your reputation should be based on your positive attributes. The lines between private and professional are easily blurred so keep presenting the best version of yourself.