Friday February 13, 2015
By RUSSELL CHEAH
editor@mystarjob.com
Valentine’s Day can bring out the weird in your colleagues. Some get all mushy to celebrate the occasion while others think that it’s a detriment to society.
Whatever the case may be, there is a line we shouldn’t cross celebrating Valentine’s Day, especially when it affects your working life. Some actions cannot be undone and unseen.
As such, if you would like your colleagues to continue taking you seriously, we recommend you avoid the following five situations listed here this Valentine’s:
Keep it private, please!
Unless you’ve blocked your colleagues and boss from your updates, refrain from sharing saccharine photos of yourself and your date on social media. Never flood your colleagues’ news feed with live updates from your date. Couple photos are fine to a certain extent, but note: there’s a fine line between sweet and ‘urgh’.
Zip it!
There is a reason it is called Monday blues. People are mourning the weekend and trying their hardest to get into the office routine for the next five days. Don’t add another bother to your colleagues by going on about your date last Saturday.
If you are asked, feel free to share how your day went, but avoid going into the nitty gritty.
Don’t be grumpy about it
At the same time, if you’re on the receiving end of someone bragging about hisor her Valentine’s Day plans, bear with them. Give a polite nod and smile, but don’t fuel the conversation. If it bothers you too much, excuse yourself. Whatever you do, refrain from saying anything negative and adding more awkwardness to the situation.
Don’t play Cupid at work
You may have big ideas (and even weddings) planned out in your head for your single colleagues, but they may have different ideas altogether. Playing matchmaker at work is a no-no - it may have an unfavourable ending which will just create awkwardness and disrupt effective communication in the future.
No practical jokes
This may have been entertaining in high school, but practical jokes like sending flowers to your colleague and pretending it is from someone else is not only immature, but inappropriate too.
On a related note, refrain from joking about your colleague’s, or worse, your boss’s single status (“Bet you’re gonna spend your day at home with the TV again huh?”). This will reduce your brownie points drastically.
Remember, Valentine’s Day is just like any other day. Mixing your private life with work life is always a tricky deal. Treat it with tact and maturity, and you’ll find that your work reputation will not be compromised.
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Related articles:
How close should I be with my boss?
7 ways your job should be like a romantic relationship
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