5 Ways to Deal with an Oversharer at Work (And How to Tell if Youre One of Them)

5 Ways to Deal with an Oversharer at Work (And How to Tell if Youre One of Them) Its no secret that establishing rapport with colleagues in the workplace can collectively cultivate a mora collaborative company culture.In fact, research suggests that ur brains respond positively to people with whom we havea personal connections. As such, were kinder with them, and we try harder and perform better.But theres a difference between getting to know your colleagues and knowing too much about them. Oversharers in the workplace can make the environment an uncomfortable one even if its unintential.Heres how to deal with oversharers at work (and how to tell if youre one of them).1. Dont engage with them.Do your best not to engage with oversharers. Its usually easy to spot them in the workplace, as youll often find them coupled up with other colleagues gossiping or having uncomfortable conversations. If you work with headphones on or with your sekretariat door closed, however, its evermore diff icult for a colleague with a tendency to overshare to approach you.Of course, be sure to be approachable for all work-related concerns. You dont want to isolate yourself from the rest of the office or make yourself seem unreliable or unavailable but, when it comes to anything outside of work talk, shut yourself off from it. Youre not at the office to engage in chitter chatter youre there to work.In the same vein, if your colleagues are actively avoiding contact with you outside of discussing work matters, it may be because youve had a tendency to overshare with them. Be conscious of your surroundings how youre making others feel at work, which is often evident by how they act around you.2. Politely let them know you must get back to your work.If a colleague begins oversharing with you, politely let them know that you need to get back to your work and you cannot continue the conversation. Of course, being direct can feel awkward, but you can word it as simple as, Ah, I actually hav e so much work I need to get to today, but we can catch up another time Chances are, the more you push off these conversations, the less theyll try to have them with you.Again, if others are turning down your questions and probes, it may be because they dont necessarily want to dive into conversation with you. It may be a conversation that makes them uncomfortable to have in the workplace, and they may not want to hear all the information you have to share.3. Redirect the conversation.If a conversation takes a turn that makes you uncomfortable, do your best to redirect the conversation. For example, if a colleague starts talking about their personal relationship difficulties at the office, and you dont want your boss reading your emails thinking that youre spending company time discussing their failing marriage, you can do your best to redirect the conversation to be more appropriate for the workplace. Maybe you reply with, Im sorry to hear that you are struggling Im sure it takes a toll on your work, too. Why dont we try to focus on that today? Whats on tap for you? Then you can dive into the work you, too, have to get done and then get to itIf you notice that others veer from topics that you bring up, as well, do your best not to bring up those topics anymore. Theyre probably changing conversation because they dont want to have that initial conversation. Its important to be socially aware in this way.4. Respectfully decline meetups outside of the workplace.If a colleague who has a tendency to overshare invites you for lunch or drinks outside the office, respectfully decline. You dont want to put yourself in a position that may lend itself to TMI. You dont need to be best friends with all of your coworkers some relationships better left as merely professional, workplace connections.If others in the office are always declining your invites, it may be a sign that youre the oversharer in the workplace. Do your best to work making others feel comfortable in con versation with you again, so that you dont have to worry about missing out on otherwise valuable connections.5. Refer them to a professional.If your colleague keeps coming to you with their personal issues their relationship problems, their health complications, their career apprehensions, etc. consider referring them to a professional. Let them know that you arent equipped to field such serious concerns, but that you know the human resources department or another issue-specific organization can certainly help them.Similarly, if you find yourself spilling all of your personal problems to colleagues at work, its best to seek out professional services for yourself. A work-life balance is important, but you shouldnt necessarily mix the two.--AnnaMarie Houlis is a feminist, a freelance journalist and an adventure aficionado with an affinity for impulsive solo travel. She spends her days writing about womens empowerment from around the world. You can follow her work on her blog, HerRep ort.org, and follow her journeys on Instagram her_report,Twitterherreport and Facebook.