Much has been made of the multitude of ways Gen Z is reshaping the culture in corporate America. From their preference for freelance roles to their aversion to management positions, the generation is changing the way offices look and feel.
Now, Business Insider is drawing attention to another way this new generation is affecting the workplace: oversharing.
While most agree that it’s a good thing that workplaces are becoming more human and empathetic, there is also recognition that Gen Z often crosses the line from being authentic to being unfiltered.
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In some ways, Business Insider says, the fault lies with companies that have encouraged employees to "bring their whole selves to work." This ideology was intended to build connections and loyalty, and to blur the lines between company time and private life.
“I don’t think workplaces and the culture more broadly are doing a good job of giving people guidance about how to preserve boundaries and why it might actually be in their best interest to preserve some boundaries at work,” Ask a Manager columnist and owner Alison Green said.
Institute for Life at Work founder Constance Noonan Hadley agrees. Many people, especially younger employees, "don’t know how to behave in what we consider traditionally professional ways” at work, she told the outlet. “I think perhaps people have misunderstood that whole idea of just full, unfettered self-expression.”
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There's a spectrum of consequences that come with oversharing, these experts agree. On the one end, you risk becoming an annoyance for managers and co-workers, while on the other end, you may cause real harm to the company and your own professional reputation.
Chronic oversharing may lead those in positions of power to feel that you aren't trustworthy, or that you're too unstable or preoccupied to handle your workload.
“How you present yourself at work does really have an impact on your growth, your influence, and honestly, job security, being able to progress up to the top,” director of global talent at Bansk Beauty, Sasha Leatherbarrow, told Business Insider. “If you are the office gossip, how many times do you see C-suite sitting in the office gossiping? You don’t.”
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Finding the right balance between being open and oversharing can be difficult. The experts who spoke to Business Insider felt that sharing some personal information is necessary to bond and establish trust.
The best way to determine whether or not you're sharing too much? Ask yourself how you'd feel if the roles were reversed, and a co-worker was sharing these things with you. “You don’t need to overshare; you just need to read the room,” Leatherbarrow said. “We want personality, not personal drama.”
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