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You’re a girl in the big city, going to college to get that degree, and acing Adulting 101. The crappy part about acing Adulting 101 is the fact that it’s now your money being spent all the time. I get it, I have to as well and I definitely miss asking my dad for lunch money. In order to spend money, you have to earn it, which means getting a job and collecting the check. If you have a job outside of your regular life that means you’re around different people a lot depending on the job and also getting used to a lot of new people that you’ll have to work with almost every day. Sometimes that can be a little rough; trying to maintain yourself, school, a social life, and a job can be overwhelming and you don’t need any more stress added to your life. The topic discussed in this article is: workplace drama and how to avoid it because, seriously, ain’t nobody got time for that.
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Now, I am not saying that you should completely avoid everyone, just keep your head down and do your job, sometimes that is the best thing that you can do. If you feel like you can handle more than that, then by all means make tons of new friends and have fun! You should never be in a place for eight hours straight that makes you completely miserable. It is great to have workplace friends, but the thing to remember is: you are in the workplace and you have a job to complete to collect the check. It might be fun to hang out and gossip with your work pals, but is it worth you losing your job? Remaining on task and staying focused is a big part of any job. Even if the job is not the career choice you are going to stick with forever, it is still important to do your best. The references do come in handy!
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A good thing to remember in the workplace, or in any place at all: you are dealing with other people. You might not be close to some of your coworkers and the relationships may be strictly work-related, but they are still people with feelings. So, if you get mad because maybe they aren’t working as hard as usual, they’re talking too much or too little for your liking, or maybe their vibe is off one day, remember that they could be going through something and the way they are acting is valid. Everyone has a life outside of the workplace and that life can take a heavy toll on people, it is NOT your job to make that person’s life any harder. If you’re not a manager or a supervisor, do them a favor and mind your business.
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Oh, while we are on the subject of minding one’s business, another big problem in the workplace is gossiping about other workers. Like I already said, people have a life outside of work and while you may think you know everything about them, always keep in mind that their business is still their business. Yes, a coworker might use you as their therapist one day but if someone trusts you enough to open up to you, you should respect that and keep it between the two of you. Gossiping about someone’s life or hardships is never the right thing to do, especially if you don’t know the whole story.
Also, if the shoe is on the other foot, the same goes for you too! I know that everyone has bad days sometimes and we all need someone to talk to, but that does mean you should tell everyone everything. I hate to say it, but sometimes not everyone has your best interest at heart. The same people you thought you could confide in when you were experiencing a rough patch could be the same people discussing your life in the breakroom like it’s the new episode of Empire. I get it, sometimes you want to explode and the next person that says, “Hi,” to you, you want to adopt as your new walking, talking diary, but sometimes it’s beneficial to keep to yourself or talk to someone you absolutely know you can confide in. Luckily, some people have made really great friends in the workplace, so don’t lose hope, or shut everyone out 24/7, just be careful.
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Basically, you are at work to secure the bag and keep it moving. You and your coworkers have seperate lives (hopefully), so you should always maintain a healthy balance between personal and professional. When it comes to gossiping or workplace drama, remember, if it’s not your business stay out of it. College girl, this is the beginning of many random jobs or the beginning of your career; don’t let workplace drama slow you down or take your eyes off the prize. You started working for a reason and a good one at that, to support yourself and to gain experience, don’t let petty or toxic people take that good reason away from you. Have fun, learn more, meet new people, make friends, and collect the check. Leave that drama crap for someone else!