Many people have friends where they work. Sometimes these friends are just people one sees at work, other times co-workers can become very close friends. However, as tempting as it may be to fill your friend in on your love life at work, there are several reasons to wait until after hours.
1. Your reputation.
More than one person has discovered that intimate details of their private lives, especially love life, can negatively impact a professional reputation. Nothing spreads faster than office gossip and even if your friend is discreet, it doesn't mean the person in the cubicle across from hers is.
2. Work email spreads faster.
If you're a fan of the NBC show "The Office", you may recall the episode where Michael (the boss) accidentally sends a picture of he and his boss sunbathing on a beach. By the end of the day, the picture was blown up to gigantic size and put on the wall of a warehouse. Now while that scenario is a little extreme, lesser extreme scenarios have happened. Whether it is accidentally sending a "reply to all", accidentally sending it to an inter-office group mailing list, or having your co-worker friend do similarly, there is a lot of room for a mistake to be made that can cause you embarrassment.
3. It's a small, small world.
A friend of mine learned this lesson the hard way. After dating a guy for two weeks, she was considering whether or not she wanted it to continue. She discussed her conundrum with one of her friends at work. That night, the guy called her and broke off things entirely because it turned out his sister had overheard the conversation. My friend had no idea that his sister worked for the same company, and her date didn't appreciate the way she talked about him.
4. The big, green monster.
This "monster" is jealousy and it has wrecked havoc on people's lives since the beginning of time. Once again, you truly never know who is listening when it comes to chit-chat at work. The more of your personal life you divulge, the more others will become interested in it. If it turns out that someone in a position of power within your company becomes agitated with you, it could severely impact your career.
Speaking from personal experience, I know how terrific it is to have friends at work and how tempting it is to tell them all about your latest date. However, remember that even in the most casual offices, your private life is best kept private.
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