Social media has made it easy to share your personal life in a way that we’ve never seen before. What used to be sacred- personal time, family life, and more- is now shared openly among friends, family, and colleagues. While younger generations (Millennnials and Gen-Z’ers) are more likely to embrace this very open culture in the workplace, X-ers and Baby Boomers aren’t as likely to hop on board. Here are a few of the reasons why:
1. Tradition. “But this is how it’s always been done” is a phrase that drives a lot of people crazy. “I hear older colleagues saying that the younger generation is too open, too personal,” says April Lovett, Co-Founder of Success in Black and White. “They say that younger generations overshare information about their lives. I think that it’s tradition,” she says. “I think that older generations have been taught that you keep personal and work separate. Maybe from fear that oversharing will harm the company, maybe just so there were no lines crossed.”
“My family used to get in trouble for sharing anything about our personal lives,” says Darryl Lovett, Co-Founder of Success in Black and White. “I think that’s held over from a time where it was perceived as dangerous or that it would make your family look bad if anyone else knew anything about your business,” he says.
2. Workplace politics. “Depending on how political or “PC” your workplace is, it may be highly discouraged for you to share anything personal, both in-person or online. There may be concern that sharing personal information could cost you clients or reflect poorly on the company,” says April.
3. Job landscape has changed. “Jobs used to be traditional, punch-the-clock, 8am-5pm in nature;” says Darryl, “however, the job landscape has changed drastically. The line between personal and work has become more blurred than ever before,” he says. “As businesses require more of their employee’s time outside of the traditional working hours, employees are bringing more of their personal lives to work, probably to subconsciously provide a semblance of balance between work life and personal life.”
Want more of this conversation? Tune in to the episode of the podcast below to hear Darryl & April’s conversation "It's Okay to Let Your Guard Down".
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