How to Avoid Office Drama

Tips to Get Away From Office Drama

It seems like office drama is unavoidable. Just when you thought all the childish bantering from high school was over and done with, all of a sudden it finds a way to creep back into your life, but this time at work.

Office drama can ruin your mood, make your day less productive and destroy overall office moral. It is always within your best interest to avoid office drama at all costs, so that you can keep your office a safe space for all.

Don’t Engage in Office Gossip

Gossip is so enticing in an office setting. The only things that you know about your coworkers are the things that they tell you about themselves, so when someone has some tea to spill about one of your coworkers, you are inclined to want to hear about it.

The problem with office gossip is that it can spread like wildfire and turn toxic very quickly. What may seem harmless can truly crush someone’s spirit and change their behavior at work for the foreseeable future.

Whenever you hear someone start to dive into office gossip, do your best to change the subject and simply say that you are not interested. If the gossip is getting out of control, consider talking to the person involved and also your company’s human resources department.

Don’t Feel Like You Have to Tell Everyone About Your Personal Life

What you do outside of work is nobody’s business but your own. One of your coworkers may feel inclined to tell you their life’s story, but you don’t have to tell them yours.

All too often, people will spread your life’s story to others, but from their perspective. When this happens, people tend to fabricate things about your life that paint you in a negative life.

You can make friends at work, but you shouldn’t feel obligated to be an open book for each person at your job.

Don’t Date Your Coworkers

“The Office” was a good show, but it barely even scratched the surface on how ugly office relationships can get.

Your coworkers can be your friends, but they shouldn’t become anything other than that. Your dating pool should not expand to include people at work.

Now, a lot of people reading this might be thinking that they really want to date someone at their job because they either think they are attractive or that they would mesh well. Here’s the problem, odds are that the relationship will not work and you will break up. When that happens, both of you are still going to see each other at work. If it was a nasty breakup, this can make things especially awkward.

Think of the worst breakups you’ve had; what if you had to see that person for 40 hours a week afterwards?