Avoid these topics with your manager at all costs.
Your side business
It is fine to have a hobby, and it is fine and dandy if that hobby makes you a profit. What is not fine is selling your services to your manager and her peers.
Case in point: A girl I used to work with was getting some negative feedback on her recent performance. Little things were building up to be a big thing, and rumours were swirling that the management had had enough of her lack of attentiveness in meetings and constant mistakes.
They finally found out why this initial rock star was dwindling into a clock-watcher: At an important client dinner, she announced to a manager (who just told the table that she is getting married) that she’d love to plan her wedding because she’s been trying to build her clientele. It turned out that she was an on-the-side event planner.
When she asked me later if I noticed how weird managers were being around her, all I could think of was “Yes, and it’s probably because they’re paying you $50,000 a year and their work is being neglected by the start-up you’re promoting on their time.”
Exhaustion due to late night studying
It is totally cool to walk into the office tired from a late night of working overtime. But it is not okay to complain because you had to stay up and study for an examination you have to take in order to make a career switch.
A girl I worked with in a marketing department walked into a morning meeting yawning. When our boss playfully asked if she had a late night out, the girl replied, “Ugh, I wish. I was studying forever last night for my teaching certification.”
If you’re wondering if she pretty much told our bosses that she’s actively trying to get another job outside of the company – well, yes, she did.
Doctor visit details
If you need a sick day, fine. Even feel free to share whether it’s something minor or serious, if you really want. But, whatever you do, leave out anything that will conjure up unpleasant images in your boss’ mind.
How bad you screwed up
Once at a work happy hour, a group of us were sharing stories – you know, funny happenings around the office, g-rated embarrassing moments – until one admission turned the room silent. Turned out it was one thing to accidentally break the copier, but quite another to damage client relationships.
One of my peers had a cocktail in hand with pink liquid swishing from side to side as she laughed so hard she cried about the time she accidentally tweeted about a Bravo TV show on behalf of the client on accident. As soon as she saw our manager’s agitated fluttering of the eyes, she panicked – and ordered a bigger drink to wallow in her sorrows. She was a social media manager, and I don’t blame her for wanting to swim away in that fruity drink of hers. If I had offered up a reason for my bosses to no longer trust my judgment, I would have ordered up another round for myself, too.
The real reason you left your last job
Acceptable reasons for leaving your previous job for your current one can be any number of things: relocation, a career switch, an urge to feel challenged or an interest in a different company culture. One thing that is not a sufficient reason, and if spoken could cause some serious damage to your boss-employee relationship. That you were looking for something “slower-paced, less-challenging and easier.”