Oversharing And Friendship At Work: Your Environment

It seems like many people on WSO (and elsewhere) spend more time with their coworkers than their family or friends. Even though nowadays we are all hooked up to electronic devices and generally try to stay away from personal contact as much as possible, some people feel the need to share their lives and there are occasionally horror stories:

Some people simply don’t have a privacy filter; they’re telling you about their enema because they’ll tell anyone about their enema. Others share overly personal stories because they’ve developed a false sense of intimacy with you.

While you don't want to be surrounded by "oversharers," it seems like most people would like to work in an open atmosphere where they are able to make some personal connection with their fellow employees. Many people form strong friendships in the workplace.
So I have two questions:
Have you ever had a coworker (or classmate) overshare to the point of absurdity? How important is it to work in an environment where you don't have to be an emotional drone?

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11 Comments
 

One dude is insistent on telling me when he's got the shits.

"After you work on Wall Street it’s a choice, would you rather work at McDonalds or on the sell-side? I would choose McDonalds over the sell-side.” - David Tepper
 
OreosOne dude is insistent on telling me when he's got the shits.

That's funny... Where do you work? Chap here came back after 15-20 mins from the restroom saying "Fuck me, that was a big'un." and not just to me either.

"So who lost the hundy?"
 

"Dude my Asian girlfriend's mom says I'm not a man, what should I do??"

"Dude my Asian girlfriend eats, like, more than I do! Which is weird, because she's Asian, and, ......"

"Dude my Asian girlfriend says that shes tired of people thinking she's Chinese when she's really Vietnamese, which is funny because she said that true Asian people can tell by other Asian people's eyes which type of Asian they are?, and, she said that her eyes are super Vietnamese, so..."

OMG STOP IT lol

"That dude is so haole, he don't even have any breath left."
 

Woman who works across from me insists on telling others about her dildo purchases..she is like 55.

The answer to your question is 1) network 2) get involved 3) beef up your resume 4) repeat -happypantsmcgee WSO is not your personal search function.
 

One thing to be careful of is that at some point, you may be promoted and will be the boss of people who were previously your peers. If you are an oversharer, this would create problems for you and/or make it more difficult to get promoted. Besides the fact that it is generally irritating. Don't be one of those people.

 

Maybe there's something about my face but people always feel the need to tell me really sensitive personal information. One of our secretaries was telling me about how she's been on Match.com for like 4 years and has only had 1 date and she thinks she's going to be alone forever and what advice do I have blah blah, lady I'm 26. I don't know dick about how to get a cat-woman like yourself laid. Really sorry, but keep this to yourself or share it with, I dunno, your girlfriends?

 
fifteenA girl I used to work with one day told me about her girl-girl experience.

That's actually not that bad. In fact, I'd venture to say I might enjoy that conversation.

 
Finametrics
fifteenA girl I used to work with one day told me about her girl-girl experience.

That's actually not that bad. In fact, I'd venture to say I might enjoy that conversation.

I guess it is not that bad at all for you, I just happen to be one of the ladies who does not have a lesbian fantasy.

 

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