Have you ever worked in a place where everyone is warm and friendly, like one big family? Me too. They’re your go-to for lunch breaks, the person you gossip with in the Slack DMs, and the first one to hear your post-meeting vent. This camaraderie can make the 9-to-5 grind feel less like, well, a grind.
But the reality is that the office is a professional minefield. It’s easy to confuse a “work friend” with a “true friend”, and that mistake can negatively impact your credibility, drag you by the jugular into unwanted office drama and politics, and even derail your career progression.
If you’ve been scarred before and want to maintain a healthy, successful professional life, or you want to avoid it, you need to know where to draw the line and set healthy boundaries.
Here are 13 things you should never share with your coworkers, no matter how close you think you are or how friendly the workplace is.
1. Your Salary or Bonus Details
Money is a deeply personal and emotionally charged subject. Sharing your salary can instantly create an atmosphere of jealousy, resentment, or internal competition.
Even if your coworker seems happy for you, that information can be used against you later to weaken your position in future negotiations or cause friction within the team.
What to say instead: If asked directly, a polite but firm “I prefer to keep that information private” or “My compensation is confidential, but I’m happy with my role here” is all you need.
Read Next: Got a New Job? Here’s How to Make Real Friends at Work.
2. Intimate Details of Your Personal Life
Oversharing about your relationship troubles, wild weekend escapades, or intense family drama can quickly change how you’re perceived. You risk being labelled “unprofessional” or “dramatic”, and this new image can overshadow your skills and work ethic.
What to share instead: Keep it light and positive. Talk about your hiking trip, a great restaurant you tried, or a funny story about your pet.
3. Negative Opinions About Your Boss or Leadership
Honestly, this is probably the quickest way to totally wreck your career. Sure, venting about your boss feels good in the moment, but you really can’t ever be certain who you can truly trust.
That “bestie” you’re confiding in might end up feeling pressured to share the information to gain favour, and just like that, you’re forever labelled as disloyal and a complainer.
What to do instead: Vent to your partner, your friends outside work, or a therapist. Keep work grievances out of the workplace.
4. Your Plans to Leave the Company
The moment you whisper, “I’m thinking of leaving,” you are no longer seen as a long-term player. You might be passed over for that exciting new project, a promotion, or a raise.
Management may even start looking for your replacement, and you could find yourself managed out earlier than you planned.
What to do instead: Your job search should be a “need-to-know” operation, and your coworkers don’t need to know. Wait until you have a signed offer letter in hand before you give your formal notice.
Read Next: How to look busy at work when you’re secretly applying for another job
5. Political or Strong Religious Views
These topics are divisive. Bringing them up at work is just asking for a massive, heated debate that won’t achieve anything positive. Worse, it can leave subtle, negative impressions that stick around and make it harder to work together as a team.
What to do instead: Politely deflect or change the subject. “That’s a complex topic for a Tuesday morning! How many articles have you written today?”
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6. Confidential Work Gossip or Information
Sharing confidential information about upcoming layoffs, mergers, or a colleague’s performance review is a major breach of trust. It can have legal ramifications, destroy your credibility instantly, and mark you as someone who cannot be trusted with sensitive information.
What to do instead: Be a vault. If the information isn’t public knowledge or wasn’t shared in an open forum, lock it away.
7. Chronic Health Issues
While you are protected by laws and have a right to reasonable accommodations, sharing specific details about a chronic illness, mental health struggle, or surgical procedure can lead to unconscious bias.
Colleagues or managers may start to question your reliability or ability to handle pressure, even if subconsciously.
What to share instead: “I need to take a sick day” or “I have a medical appointment” is all the information required. For longer absences, work directly with HR.
Read Next: How to Recover From Burnout and Get Your Energy Back
8. Financial Problems or Debt
Discussing your debt or financial struggles can affect how people perceive your judgment and stability. Unfortunately, it can also lead to questions about your trustworthiness, especially if you work in a finance-sensitive role.
9. Complaints About Other Colleagues
You are creating a triangle of gossip. The person you’re complaining to may feel uncomfortable, feel forced to take sides, or worst of all, go and tell the person you’re complaining about. This is a recipe for a toxic, untrustworthy environment.
What to do instead: If you have a legitimate work issue with a colleague, address it directly and professionally with them. If it’s serious, involve your manager or HR.
