This segment allows potential candidates to ask questions that will be answered directly by our CEO, Darcy Swift. This month’s question is: How do I address personal questions at work?
QUESTION: How do I address personal questions at work without revealing information I don’t wish to share? I have high functioning autism and an anxiety disorder. I have been in treatment for years and it does not affect my job. However, my co-workers don’t know about it and I would like it to stay that way.
One way I cope with anxiety is to bite my nails. I have been known to bite my nails past the nail bed so I use band aids on my fingers. This helps healing and so I don’t make it worse. Sometimes I will have multiple fingers covered in band aids at a time. Recently, my co-worker asked me about it and I stumbled through a non-answer really awkwardly. I don’t want to talk about my medical conditions because I’m afraid they will treat me differently or not have faith in my quality of work, but I’m not sure what to say when I’m asked about it. What is a good way to address the questions without revealing my issues?
ANSWER: First of all, you don’t have to share your personal information with co-workers at all if you don’t want to. There are a few different ways you can approach a personal question. One way to address it is to say “I would rather not say”, however, that may come across as closed off and open up even more questions (and possible gossip) from co-workers. The best way to handle the situation to avoid isolating yourself from co-workers is to simply brush it off saying “it’s just a skin thing”. This can cover a multitude of things including eczema, psoriasis, etc. without revealing anything specific.
If they continue to push the issue, you can just say “I don’t really want to talk about it at work, it’s not a big deal” and quickly change the subject to something more lighthearted. Also, be sure you’re not asking personal questions about others or getting involved in office gossip and people will start to get the picture that you like to keep your personal and work life separate.
If you have a question you want answered, please contact us . We will feature one frequently asked question a month.
This segment allows potential candidates to ask questions that will be answered directly by our CEO, Darcy Swift. This month’s question is: How do I address personal questions at work?
QUESTION: How do I address personal questions at work without revealing information I don’t wish to share? I have high functioning autism and an anxiety disorder. I have been in treatment for years and it does not affect my job. However, my co-workers don’t know about it and I would like it to stay that way.
One way I cope with anxiety is to bite my nails. I have been known to bite my nails past the nail bed so I use band aids on my fingers. This helps healing and so I don’t make it worse. Sometimes I will have multiple fingers covered in band aids at a time. Recently, my co-worker asked me about it and I stumbled through a non-answer really awkwardly. I don’t want to talk about my medical conditions because I’m afraid they will treat me differently or not have faith in my quality of work, but I’m not sure what to say when I’m asked about it. What is a good way to address the questions without revealing my issues?
ANSWER: First of all, you don’t have to share your personal information with co-workers at all if you don’t want to. There are a few different ways you can approach a personal question. One way to address it is to say “I would rather not say”, however, that may come across as closed off and open up even more questions (and possible gossip) from co-workers. The best way to handle the situation to avoid isolating yourself from co-workers is to simply brush it off saying “it’s just a skin thing”. This can cover a multitude of things including eczema, psoriasis, etc. without revealing anything specific.
If they continue to push the issue, you can just say “I don’t really want to talk about it at work, it’s not a big deal” and quickly change the subject to something more lighthearted. Also, be sure you’re not asking personal questions about others or getting involved in office gossip and people will start to get the picture that you like to keep your personal and work life separate.
If you have a question you want answered, please contact us . We will feature one frequently asked question a month.