In an office, where people spend half of their day working together, emotion is inevitable. However, to stay professional and avoid falling into situations that hurt yourself and others, there are certain limits that need to be maintained clearly and seriously.
Don't be confused about emotions, unclear boundaries are always the fuel
Behavioral psychologist Dr. Laura Whitmore, Chicago Institute for Human Relations Research, said: The most dangerous office relationship is when two people do not balance their own strength and maintain boundaries. A seemingly harmless joke can lead to misunderstanding.
The mentality of "only speaking for fun", "only caring gently" causes many people to fall into easily misunderstandling behaviors: texting overtime too often, sharing too much privacy or intentionally creating intimacy in front of others.
When emotions are uncertain for a long time, even without a real relationship, you can still make yourself the center of speculation, directly affecting your professional reputation.
Absolutely avoid too deep confidentiality, offices do not have therapeutic rooms
Another mistake is to consider colleagues as a place to express confidences about marriage or personal life. According to Dr. Whitmore, uncontrolled sharing will create a sense of emotional dependence, thereby creating unhealthy bonds. Many people enter office dating just because they feel sympathized or understood, something their partner cannot give them in difficult times.
The office should be a place to focus on work. If you are too dependent on a colleague, you can easily confuse comfort with affection, and thereby create an escapeable spiral.
Office affection is not always wrong, but it is a land with many potential risks: conflicts of interest, friendships, pressure from colleagues, even career breakdowns. To avoid unnecessary troubles, each person needs to keep three things: clear boundaries, communicate within the framework and know how to stop at the right time.
In modern life, the office should be a place to grow up and stabilize, not an emotional battlefield. Choosing to be alert today is to protect peace for both work and family tomorrow.
