How to Say No to Office Friendships
March 19, 2009 | In: Career, Relationship, Self Improvement
Sure, forming good relationships with your co-workers is vital for career growth. But it doesn’t obligate anyone to be best friends with them. You can avoid being very personal while maintaining a pleasant professional relationship with your officemates . Here are some tips on how to do it:
Politely refuse invitations for after-office drinks. You can say that you like to spend as much time out of the office with your family.
Don’t treat your workspace as your home. Avoid bringing a lot of family photos or such and displaying them on your desk if you don’t want your co-workers to ask about your family or personal life. A picture or two will suffice. If you do not want to be asked, be sure to keep to your own business as well.
As much as possible, talk about work-related topics. If you wish not to create personal bonds, just keep it at the professional level. If they volunteer information, just smile and listen. Do not volunteer information. If people ask, just smile and stick to a simple answer. Avoid elaborating.
Smile. Greet your co-workers. Be nice. Communicate well when it comes to work, especially if you are a part of a team. Most importantly, do your job properly. This will send a message to everyone that you are effective in what you do and that it’s not that you don’t like them but you just want to keep things professional.
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