10 Secrets You Should NEVER Tell Coworkers

Summary

This script offers a cautionary guide to navigating office politics and maintaining a professional reputation. It warns against sharing sensitive information, such as personal secrets, mistakes, and career ambitions, which can become fodder for gossip and undermine one's standing. The narrative uses anecdotes to illustrate the consequences of office indiscretions and provides strategies for dealing with toxic co-workers. The key takeaway is the importance of discretion and the five rules to win at office politics without engaging in dirty tactics.

Takeaways

• 🤐 **Maintain Confidentiality**: Avoid discussing sensitive or personal information with colleagues to prevent becoming the subject of office gossip.
• 🗣️ **Be Cautious with Insider Information**: Sharing insider information can backfire and damage your professional reputation.
• 👥 **Avoid Office Gossip**: Engaging in or spreading gossip can lead to unnecessary drama and harm your relationships with co-workers.
• 🤫 **Keep Personal Life Private**: Limiting personal information shared at work can prevent it from becoming office gossip and affecting your professional image.
• 💸 **Financial Matters Stay Private**: Disclosing financial details can influence how colleagues perceive you and may lead to unfair treatment.
• 🙅‍♀️ **Don't Admit to Mistakes Unnecessarily**: If a mistake goes unnoticed, there's no need to draw attention to it, as it can be used against you.
• 🤷‍♀️ **Don't Feed the Drama**: Refrain from sharing personal struggles or health issues to prevent them from becoming office gossip.
• 🏆 **Ambition Should Be Kept Discreet**: Publicly announcing career ambitions can invite unnecessary competition and sabotage.
• 🤝 **Handle Toxic Co-workers with Kindness**: Using positive reinforcement can disarm toxic behavior and maintain a peaceful work environment.
• 🛡️ **Protect Career Opportunities**: Keep career-advancing opportunities confidential to avoid dirty politics and potential sabotage.

Q & A

Why should you avoid discussing secrets with co-workers?

Discussing secrets with co-workers can lead to office gossip, workplace drama, and damage to your professional reputation. It can also make you a target for those who might use the information against you.

What was the consequence of Vivian sharing insider information at her company?

Vivian's sharing of insider information led to a loss of trust from her boss, a decrease in her influence within the company, and avoidance from her colleagues.

Why is it unwise to confirm or deny rumors about your personal life at work?

Confirming or denying rumors can fuel office gossip and provide ammunition to those who might use it against you. It's better to discredit the gossip and not engage with it.

What is the advice given for dealing with toxic co-workers like Vivian?

The advice is to be kind and make yourself easy to work with, which can disarm toxic co-workers. Avoid engaging in their drama and let karma handle the situation.

Why should you not share your personal life details with co-workers?

Sharing personal life details can lead to unnecessary speculation and gossip, which can be used against you by toxic co-workers. It's best to keep personal matters private.

What is the recommended approach when dealing with personal health issues at work?

Only share personal health information on a need-to-know basis, especially with supervisors if it affects your work performance, but avoid sharing with co-workers who might misuse the information.

How can discussing your financial situation at work potentially harm your professional image?

Discussing financial matters can lead to perceptions of irresponsibility or undeserved privilege, which can affect promotions, pay increases, and career opportunities.

What is the suggested strategy for handling career ambitions and opportunities at work?

Keep your career ambitions and opportunities confidential, sharing them only with those who can help you advance, and avoid broadcasting them to avoid creating unnecessary competition or gossip.

Why is it important to be cautious about discussing your mistakes at work?

Discussing your mistakes can provide fuel for gossip and drama, and it can also undermine your professional image. It's better to learn from mistakes privately.

What is the key takeaway from the story about the client who shared her credit card debt with co-workers?

The key takeaway is that sharing sensitive financial information can have negative professional repercussions, as it may be used against you or lead to harmful gossip.

How can keeping secrets at work help in navigating office politics?

Keeping secrets can prevent you from becoming a target in office politics and can help maintain a professional image. It's also a part of the broader strategy to win office politics without engaging in dirty tactics.

Outlines

00:00

🤐 The Dangers of Sharing Secrets at Work

This paragraph emphasizes the risks of discussing sensitive information with co-workers, as it can lead to gossip, workplace drama, and damage to one's professional reputation. It highlights the importance of discretion and caution when handling confidential information. The story of Vivian, who shared insider information that led to her downfall, serves as a cautionary tale. The speaker advises against sharing secrets, including personal and professional ones, to avoid becoming a target for office gossip and to prevent adversaries from using that information against you.

05:01

🤫 Maintaining Professional Boundaries in the Workplace

The second paragraph discusses the importance of setting boundaries between personal and professional life at work. It suggests that one should be cautious about sharing personal details, including health and financial information, with co-workers to prevent unnecessary speculation and potential misuse by colleagues. The speaker shares personal experiences and provides advice on how to handle such situations, advocating for a 'need-to-know' basis when it comes to sharing personal information. It also touches on the potential negative consequences of openly discussing career ambitions and financial status at work, urging professionals to be mindful of the information they disclose.

Keywords

💡Office Gossip

Office gossip refers to the informal and often unverified information or rumors that circulate among colleagues in a workplace. In the video, the narrator emphasizes the negative impact of office gossip on professional reputations, using the example of Vivian, who shared insider information that led to her downfall when it was misused by others.

💡Professional Reputation

Professional reputation is the overall perception others have of an individual's character, skills, and work ethic within their professional environment. The video underscores the importance of maintaining a good professional reputation by avoiding behaviors that could lead to gossip or drama, as these can tarnish one's image and career prospects.

💡Confidentiality

Confidentiality in the workplace means keeping sensitive information private and not sharing it with others without proper authorization. The video script illustrates the importance of confidentiality through the story of Vivian, who breached her boss's trust by sharing confidential information, leading to severe consequences for her career.

💡Workplace Drama

Workplace drama encompasses the interpersonal conflicts, power struggles, and other emotionally charged situations that can arise in a professional setting. The video discusses how sharing certain personal or sensitive information can fuel workplace drama and create a toxic environment, which can be detrimental to one's career and well-being.

💡Personal Life

Personal life refers to the aspects of an individual's existence outside of their professional life, including their relationships, health, and personal experiences. The video advises against sharing details of one's personal life with co-workers to prevent unnecessary speculation and to maintain a healthy boundary between work and private life.

💡Career Ambitions

Career ambitions are the goals and aspirations an individual has for their professional development and advancement. The video script warns against openly discussing one's career ambitions with co-workers, as it can lead to being perceived as a threat, sparking competition and potentially sabotage from others.

💡Toxic Co-workers

Toxic co-workers are individuals who engage in negative behaviors, such as gossiping, undermining, or sabotaging others, which can create a hostile work environment. The video provides examples of toxic co-workers and suggests strategies for dealing with them, such as maintaining professionalism and not engaging in office politics.

💡Office Politics

Office politics refers to the strategies and maneuvers people use to gain power or advantage within an organization. The video suggests that while office politics are often seen as negative, they can be navigated effectively by following certain rules, thus avoiding the pitfalls of dirty politics.

💡Financial Disclosure

Financial disclosure in the context of the video refers to revealing personal financial information, such as debt or savings, to co-workers. The video advises against such disclosure, as it can lead to judgments and stereotypes that may affect one's professional standing or opportunities.

💡Health Information

Health information pertains to details about an individual's physical, emotional, or psychological well-being. The video emphasizes the importance of keeping health information confidential from co-workers to prevent potential misuse or discrimination, and to maintain personal privacy.

💡Career Opportunities

Career opportunities refer to the chances or prospects for professional advancement, such as promotions or new job positions. The video script cautions against openly discussing career opportunities to avoid creating envy or competition among co-workers, which could lead to attempts to undermine or steal these opportunities.

Highlights

Sharing secrets at work can lead to office gossip and damage your professional reputation.

Many people unknowingly reveal secrets to co-workers, which can have negative consequences.

Vivian's story illustrates the downfall that can come from sharing insider information.

Office gossip can escalate and lead to the loss of trust and power within a company.

It's crucial not to share others' secrets to avoid being burned by office politics.

Personal relationships at work can lead to rumors and speculation.

Rumors can be harmful and difficult to disprove once they spread in the workplace.

Gossip can be used as a tool by toxic co-workers to create drama and undermine others.

Maintaining kindness and professionalism can disarm toxic co-workers.

Avoid broadcasting personal mistakes at work to prevent them from becoming gossip fodder.

Personal life details should be kept private to avoid becoming the subject of office gossip.

Health information, whether physical or mental, should be shared on a need-to-know basis only.

Financial details, such as debt or savings, should be kept confidential to prevent judgment and gossip.

Ambitions and career goals should be shared only with those who can help advance your career.

Promotions and career opportunities should be kept quiet to avoid triggering dirty politics.

Engaging in office politics doesn't have to be dirty or complicated; there are rules to win gracefully.

Transcripts

your co-workers cannot talk about things

they don't know feeling just one of

these secrets will make you the target

of office gossip the subject of

workplace drama and destroy your

professional reputation yet I can

guarantee you've probably told your

co-workers at least three of these

secrets because most people never learn

the 10 Secrets they should never tell

their co-workers until it's too late but

I got you bestie and I'm spilling the

tea today so you don't accidentally

spill it on yourself we have to start

with the obvious fact that you are not

the only one spilling Secrets at work

undoubtedly you have at least one

co-worker or even your boss who is

confided in you what do you do with that

information my office Nemesis made a

mistake with this information back in my

corporate days Vivian had gotten a juicy

political Insight from her boss who was

the top executive at the company one of

the executives was about to get fired

Vivian not only wanted to show she was

in the know she happened to openly hate

this executive and welcome to the

opportunity to bring him down but this

was the beginning of Vivian's downfall

wish Loki I enjoyed watching Karma do it

job Vivian shared her Insider

information with a few people that she

wanted to impress then it became the

buzz of office gossip and fell into the

wrong hands Vivian was a notorious

corporate pygmy and she had created a

collection of adversaries which is cool

I wasn't alone now one of these

adversaries saw this mishandled

information as the perfect political

opportunity to take Vivian down the top

executive was made aware of the fact

that Vivian betrayed his confidence and

instantly the trustee had in Vivian was

decimated and the precarious amount of

power she was provided was lost which

made everyone of the company avoid

Vivian the way they would stepping into

one of those weird puddles that happens

in the middle of the day in New York

City I don't even know what's going on

with those when you spill someone else's

secret you are going to be the one who

ends up burned so don't do it which

brings me to the next secret you should

never tell your co-workers and another

pygmy tale because apparently it's our

theme for today this one was targeted at

me at one of my early career jobs my

work bestie happen to be a dude we will

not get all toxic and call him my work

husband anyways me and my work bestie

took breaks together and he initiated a

strategic high impact project that

promoted my team Services which was a

huge Mutual win we also both happened to

be in serious long-term relationships

with people outside of work so there was

no romantic Vibes one day I was chatting

with another one of our colleagues let's

call our Gia because she had the mean

girl from Full House Vibes going and she

says to me you know people think you and

him are hooking up was this rumor really

floating around probably because a woman

can't be friends with a man at work

without people speculating about it but

also because I suspect Gia or remember

of her pygmy pack started it heck she

probably brought it to me so she could

add it to the office gossip because

beyond that there was zero point in her

bringing it to me there was also nothing

I could do or say to prove that me and

my work bestie were not in fact having a

torrid love affair if you're truly

concerned about what is being said

behind a co-worker's back do not bring

it to them discredit the person who's

gossiping about them instead question as

I told you about Gia and Vivian have you

been assuming that they knew I didn't

like them the thing is neither of them

knew at least not explicitly unlike Gia

and Vivian despite my personal feelings

about them I wasn't trying to take

anyone down even when their behavior was

particularly shady I trusted Karma to do

its job so I could do mine them knowing

I didn't like them would have added fuel

to their pikmi fire and it would have

escalated the drama I did not want I

even channeled Pavlov and used positive

reinforcement with them especially

Vivian nothing disarms a toxic co-worker

faster than kindness especially when

it's not what they're giving you

whenever I had to collaborate with

Vivian I made myself conspicuously easy

to work with making it almost impossible

for her to sabotage my work or obstruct

my work in any way I would even email

compliments about the progress she was

making and she did not know what to do

with that it was actually kind of funny

to watch the next is a secret highly

accountable professionals reveal even

though it costs them when I tell you

what it is you are going to immediately

least spot the problem even if it's a

secret you spelled before so face palm

warning do not tattle on yourself when

you make a mistake that no one noticed

don't point it out to everyone if you

got in trouble with your boss you don't

have to tell your co-workers about it

there is zero shame in messing up making

mistakes and learning and growing from

it but it doesn't mean you need to

broadcast it especially when the gias

and Vivians of the world are going to be

asking you what did he just say to you

to feed their drama llama for free

speaking of feeding your toxic

co-workers drama llama this next thing

is something you absolutely need to keep

secret from your co-workers because if

you don't the biggest stressors in your

life are going to become office gossip

your co-workers should know about as

much about your personal life as they

know about quantum mechanics unless

they're all physicists or something they

may be familiar with the term perhaps

they have a vague idea of what it is

even a basic understanding of it but you

should not be the corporate Kardashian

over sharing every detail of your life

trust me the last thing you want is for

Gia to know about the breakup that

you're going through or other stress so

that she can be talking to everyone

about it from the conversations that

we've had in the comments I know a lot

of you don't really know what the lines

are and sometimes we don't find those

boundaries between work and life until

they're breach there's a really simple

question that can help you get clarity

on if it's something you should share

before you say it do I want my

co-workers speculating about this if the

answer is no keep it on the down low huh

that rhymed especially when it comes to

personal health info whether it's

physical health emotional health

psychological health or spiritual health

this is a line I know a lot of you are

walking based on the questions that I

get during my weekly Instagram AMA

sessions sometimes we have ailments that

we need to be open about in order to

navigate especially if you need

accommodations or it's obvious like when

I broke my foot falling down on the

sidewalk as I was texting but does

everyone need to know about it and

specifically what happened in most cases

I think Health info is on a needs to

know basis for instance I had absolutely

no issue talking to my boss about how my

anxiety was impact me at work but I

never would have wanted for Vivian to

know about it not because I was

embarrassed or ashamed of my anxiety it

goes back to what I said about arming

your adversaries because Vivian was one

thousand percent the type of person who

would have tried to weaponize my anxiety

about me which speaks to her character

not mine but still would have resulted

in me having to deal with unnecessary

drama similarly you do not need to make

break room confessions to your

co-workers like I'm 25 000 in credit

card debt this is something similar to

what one of my clients accidentally

shared with her co-workers absolutely

oblivious to the implications she

figured most people had things like

credit card debt and student loans but

by the time it got to her boss she

realized spilling that particular secret

was a massive mistake when it comes to

cash most people become Goldilocks if

you're perceived as having too much

money people think you don't need things

like promotions or pay increases or

career advancing opportunities if you

have too little you're perceived as

risky or irresponsible spoiler alert

when it comes to money I don't think

that there's any amount that people

think is just right which is why whether

it's the price of your new shoes the

balance on your student loan or the

amount that you're saving up for a

luxurious holiday or to buy a new home

keep those numbers secret from your

co-workers this is particularly true

when you're looking for a new job I

think most people already know to keep

it a secret from their co-workers when

they're looking for a new job and go out

of their way to hide when they're

interviewing with another company but

what about promotions one mistake I see

professionals making every day is

telling everyone about their career

Ambitions this can cause so many

problems first your ambitious co-worker

is now going to see you as competition

and if they play dirty politics they can

sabotage your work undermine you in

meetings and they'll take every

opportunity they can to discredit you

unfortunately it can also trigger a lot

of casual gossip some that's very

harmful like talking about how power

hungry you are what you're willing to do

to get promoted and if you get passed

over for that promotion your toxic

co-worker is going to Relish in your

misery because they love a downfall you

should be unapologetically ambitious at

work but not everyone needs to know

about it communicate your career goals

and your career Ambitions with the

people that are going to be instrumental

in advancing your career everyone else

can mind their own business similarly

when you're being given opportunities

and especially when career advancing

opportunities are being created just for

you or you're creating opportunities for

yourself keep these quiet to your

competitive co-workers I have heard way

too many stories about dirty politics

being deployed to snatch opportunities

away from The Talented professionals who

deserve them that said no matter how

well you protect these 10 Secrets

sometimes they're gonna get out which is

why if you're not engaging in office

politics keeping all of these secrets is

not going to matter the good news is

Corporate politics don't need to be

dirty and they don't need to be

complicated you just need to know the

five easy rules to win office politics

that I'm going to tell you about right

here