Sharing too much info at work?

I’ve noticed a workplace trend lately: the overshare. It seems that people work so much that they consider colleagues like close friends or family members.

And when they’re diagnosed with a long-term condition with an acronym like PSTD or ADHD or become pregnant (for example), it’s the most natural thing in the world to tell office-mates immediately.

My advice is to think twice about this. Don’t get me wrong — I’m sure your managers and co-workers care about you. But the truth is, their first priority is  the work that needs to get done; and even if you are convinced that your affliction will not affect your performance, they may begin to subconsciously doubt you as a result of receiving this extra information.

Even non-medical disclosures might undermine your reputation and cause you unnecessary headaches. For instance, a piece I wrote last year on coming out at work was much more controversial than I expected — sadly, a lot of work environments are still hostile to openly gay employees.

Bottom line: Be discreet. If your medical condition or lifestyle choice truly doesn’t impact your job, then people at work  shouldn’t need to know about it. If you must share out of necessity or because it’s causing you too much stress to maintain complete secrecy, then keep your circle of informants small and limited to people you really trust.

–Alexandra Levit is the author of “They Don’t Teach Corporate in College: A Twenty-Something’s Guide to the Business World” and a nationally recognized authority on workplace issues. 

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