Once, long ago, when I was a young public health graduate student, a professor warned me against getting too friendly with one of the administrative staff. Back then, I figured it didn’t much matter because it wasn’t as if I had any power over her. I was just a lowly grad student! But, the following year, I did gain more responsibility and it started getting a little awkward.

Kim at Emergiblog writes more about working relationships in the emergency room. She asks:

• How close should you get to your co-workers?
• How much of your personal life should you discuss with the people you work with?
• At what point does information about yourself become too much information?
• Should you actually be friends with the people you work with?

I tend to be a blabber mouth and probably share too much. But considering how much time we spend with our co-workers, it’s hard being aloof all the time and I don’t think it would endear us to anyone if we were thought of as being cold.

Kim’s got a practical take on the whole situation. How do you behave at work?

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