Business insight

Mary Crane works with Fortune 500 companies on business-life issues and here offers advice on prickly workplace issues.

Where do social conversations fit into the workplace?

While most offices recognize and promote a certain amount of appropriate socializing, some conversations should be off-limits. Conversations about sex are best limited to the people involved in the relationship. Unless health issues keep an employee from performing a work-related task, discussions about personal health topics should be left at home, too. Advertising details about personal finances is another subject best left out of office conversations - the worker bees will be as uncomfortable with conversations about extravagances as other employees might be hearing about monetary burdens. If co-workers do disclose information about their personal lives, do not repeat it.

What about politics or office gossip?

Politics aren't a strict no-no, however, although it's expected that opinions will be formed about political candidates, politics should be discussed in a civilized manner. And, the employee who listens will hear all sorts of office gossip. Go ahead and listen if you want. Employees should, however, never ever repeat it. An easy way to refute gossip known to be false and to stop the further spread of innuendo is to ask, "Is that a known fact or a supposition?"

Where does joking fit in?

As with all other types of workplace discourse, it fits in just fine - as long as it's appropriate. The easiest way to shut the door on future employment opportunities is to use language and make remarks that others view as insensitive, offensive or unkind.

Should workers get into office romances?

According to the 2007 Office Romance Study, 47 percent of employees have reported entering into an office fling. Once they do, especially if they are a supervisor or manager, they will be held to a higher standard of fairness and, for good or for bad, watched closely by co-workers. At a minimum, workplace romances can impact other work relationships and the office environment. At worst, they can lead to charges of sexual harassment and lawsuits. Before canoodling with a co-worker, I recommend the following: Don't do it.

Once in an office romance, what are the boundaries?

At the beginning, establish a clear agreement regarding how to best manage the relationship inside and outside the office. Call it an office fling pre-nup. Spell out as many details as possible. Will you regularly eat lunch together? Dinner? What's an appropriate number of phone calls and e-mails per day? Will any of those communications refer to sex, either explicitly or implicitly? (Remember, an employer may read those e-mails.) Most importantly, should the relationship sour, how will you put your feelings aside and interact at work? Save all open displays of affection for outside the office. And for heaven's sake, never use the office nap room, reception area sofa, or Xerox machine for a workplace quickie.

- Dawn House