Inappropriate Conversations At Work

Are your conversations at work appropriate or inappropriate?

We all have conversations all day, everyday.

But when does our conversation begin to go out of bounds or raise eye brows and people wonder if they heard what they heard from us correctly or they give a sigh or worse still, shake their heads at what we said?

The type of conversations we engage in could either endear people to us or drive them far away from us regardless of where we find ourselves.

Are the conversations you have with your colleagues mentally stimulating? or are they just full of things people would rather not hear? Do people feel edified when they leave your desk or do they feel heavy because of the things they heard which they never envisaged or bargained for?

You don’t want to be that one person everyone wants to stay away from because of the content of your conversation.

However, conversations generally could be fun and engaging if done the right way. You want to be the go-to person any one can talk to when they want to unwind or feel overwhelmed and simply don’t know what to do, but talk.

Yes, they should be able to trust you that much with their discussions and feel safe with you as well.

We always want to make sure our conversations with colleagues are not only acceptable but also conducive for the work environment.

Any talk short of this, should be saved for later or somewhere out of the four walls of the office.

So what kind of conversations should we be having at work?

This video (transcript below) I have shared not only sheds light on what inappropriate discussions or conversations you shouldn’t be having at work but also helps you know and recognize them.

Inappropriate Conversations At Work

1. Sex

Nobody wants to know how great your sex life is or how awesome your partner is in bed. You could decide to talk about this with your close friends if you choose to but trust me, no one at work wants to know how much you both work it out.

Keep all those bedroom romping talks out of your conversations when at work.

2. Religion

This one actually depends on the part of the world you are from. We all know that there are some things that are not universally applicable. Talk on religion is a part of it.

Putting your religion first before people get to know you at all could be a put off. Your religion should ordinarily shine through even without you saying anything directly about it.

3. Politics

Politics is always a heated topic because people get overtly passionate about it. No one needs to know who you voted for.

Although in some parts of the world, it is acceptable for you to discuss politics but you should either ways limit your talk on politics to when work is over.

4. How much things cost

So you just bought that expensive watch or apparel and you feel a need to just let the people at your office know on a Monday morning that you went shopping all day over the weekend.

You don’t need to make that a topic of discussion while at work.

5. Personal life escapades or streaks

For some people, their private life and sexual escapades are things that they want the world to know. They love to brag about it but some things are better kept private. Don’t be tempted to discuss it.

6. Weight

Avoid discussing your own weight or those of your colleagues. Gossip and body shaming others at work is one thing you want to avoid by all means.

You could choose to talk about your weight after work hours or outside of the work environment with your close friends if you feel a need to.

7. Personal family problems

The fact that you and your husband had a karate match last night and you probably won the fight is no one’s business and should be kept out of professional settings.

No one needs to know what happened between you or what happened between you and your extended families or in laws either.

If what you need is counsel from friends, you could keep it till work is over to discuss it.

8. How much you hate your job

If you are working at a job you don’t like, there’s no need to talk about all the negatives at work.

Complaining and wining on your job, poorly reflects on your character and would only make people question why you are still hanging around. If you don’t like what you do, just call it quits.

9. How messy or pristine your house is

Don’t we all love a clean and well organized house?

So you just did a make over and you need to let the world know about it, or may be the opposite is the case. Your kids have turned your house upside down and the whole place is an eye sore.

That doesn’t help anyone. Keep it out of your conversations at work.

10. Personal health matters

The fact that you are on your period and how badly your cramps is killing you or for the men, how high or low your sperm count is. Things as personal as this should not be discussed at work.

What are the other things you think should not be discussed at work? Let me know in the comments.

Bonus Tip

When it comes to conversations at work, the general rule of thumb is to avoid discussing whatever you would not feel comfortable seeing if it’s shown on a projector screen for the world to see. Talk about embarrassing or awkward moments.

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