Topics We Shouldn't Discuss At Work

“Whenever you conflict with someone, one factor can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude.” – William James

There are some things you should avoid discussing at work because bringing up these topics could make your coworkers uncomfortable or influence their opinions of you and your ability to do your job.

Here’s a list of 7 topics to avoid at work.

1- The presidential election, party politics, and religion

One reason for avoiding this is that people may take extreme positions, particularly in politics and religion. As a result, they will never agree to disagree with you nor soften their position based upon the strengths of your argument or even the data. In other words, discussing politics and religion only makes us irrational and increasingly blind to our irrational thinking.

2- Race, ethnicity, and gender

If political and religious discussions are poor topic choices, then race, ethnicity, and gender are even more so—since the latter tend to drive political and religious debates. What’s worse, these taboo topics bring emotional biases into the picture, which further deplete rationality.

3- Your sex life

Don’t ever discuss details about your sex life. First, this topic makes many people squirm and can cause your coworkers to feel uneasy around you.

Second, discussing your sex life can get you into legal hot water. If someone feels intimidated or thinks you have created an offensive work environment, they may have grounds to file a sexual harassment complaint.

4- Family problems

It can be very tempting to disclose your family problems to a co-worker, but it’s not right. Sharing your family stories with people that are not family-related can hurt your career. Your hiring manager may get the impression that your family issues may affect your performance at work and decide to lay you off.

5- Financial Problems

Discussing financial woes with colleagues is a big no-no for two reasons. The first is that your colleagues may assume that you are bringing up financial concerns as a way of begging for loans or handouts. The second issue is that many people make negative judgments about people who have financial problems, including your company’s management and current co-workers who might move into supervisory positions.

6- Health problems

Health challenges may not completely be confined. It depends on your choice – it’s not that you should avoid it at work since it’s not something to be ashamed of, but giving details may be uncomfortable for your coworkers. You should explain or talk about some conditions, especially if they affect your performance.

7- Co-workers, the boss, superiors, senior management

Don’t vent your frustrations openly if you are having problems with your boss, upper management, or other co-workers. If a problem is minor, talking to a therapist, spouse, or trusted friend is appropriate. Take work-related severe issues to your supervisor or human resources.

If some colleague brings up such topics, try to change the subject gently. If your colleague fails to get the hint, again, gently remind them, saying, “we have a lot of work to do.”

WEEKLY VOCABULARY 🗣

📌Moderate: make or become less extreme, intense, rigorous, or violent.

📌Susceptible: likely or liable to be influenced or harmed by a particular thing.

📌Liable: likely to do or to be something.

📌Complaining: expressing dissatisfaction or annoyance about something.

📌Politely: in a respectful and considerate manner.

PHRASAL VERBS ✍

📌Go away: to leave a place or person.

“Laura angrily told Lucca to go away and stop bothering her.”

📌Come down: to make a decision that supports or opposes someone or something.

“The CEO came down in favor of closing the factory.”

IDIOMS 📒