A human resources expert has broken down the three things she avoids at all costs in the professional field.
Valerie Rodriguez, a 31-year-old human resources worker based in New Jersey, has seen her share of workplace scandals over her 10 years in the field.
He recently opened up to Business Insider about behaviors she would never tolerate when it comes to interacting with colleagues.
First of all, don’t share too much about your personal life with your coworkers (not even your supposed best friend from work), no matter how trivial the topic may seem.
Valerie Rodriguez’s first piece of advice was to avoid sharing too much about her personal life with her coworkers (not even her supposed best friend from work), no matter how mundane the topic may seem (file image)
She explained that even colleagues who have no ill will toward you may unintentionally mention what they’ve learned about your problems in a way that could change people’s perception of you, even if only slightly.
The 31-year-old has a decade of experience in human resources.
Bottom line: “Oversharing at work often does more harm than good because it allows others to make assumptions or decisions for you – even if it comes from a supportive attitude, it’s not a good idea,” she said.
For example, a long time ago, you casually admitted to a coworker that you were having car trouble.
A couple of months later, she was considered for an opportunity with more responsibilities, but part of the scope of the position involved additional car travel.
“When my boss met with me, he told me he had heard about my car problems and expressed concern that I would be ‘stuck’. As a result, I was not given the job opportunity,” she said with disappointment.
“I felt very discouraged and burned out. I realized that I shouldn’t share things about my personal life with my coworkers, as it gives people the opportunity to have opinions and make decisions for me,” she said.
Second, abandon humility when it comes to work environments.
“I learned not to be too humble when it comes to the workplace,” he described.
Secondly, he advised employees to put aside their humility in the workplace or risk falling behind on the corporate ladder (file image)
“That doesn’t mean it’s acceptable to be ‘arrogant’ or ‘idiotic,'” he added. “That won’t get you very far either.”
‘I think you can be kind and empathetic, but at the same time, you can’t let people walk all over you and you shouldn’t put yourself last compared to others.’
She has observed over the years that the most successful people will be “direct” and “more vocal” about what they have accomplished, while “humble people” are not as vocal and have therefore been more likely to be passed over for promotions and other advancement opportunities.
“I once believed that my work would speak for itself, but I have since learned that if you don’t stand up for yourself, no one else will,” she said.
Last but not least, Valerie insisted that there is never a reason to stay more than an hour or two at work functions.
Since you work in HR, you are often required to stay until the end of any event and have witnessed some unpleasant interactions between employees.
As a general rule, nothing good comes from coworkers partying together until the early hours of the morning.
Often it’s alcohol, he added, although it can also be sober employees making “bad decisions.”
“I say, come on in, hang out at the party and show your face, but staying more than a couple of hours doesn’t always serve a good purpose,” he concluded.