We chat with our colleagues all the time: when we have lunch, gossip in the tearoom, or leave work together.
我们每时每刻都在与同事聊天：午饭时，茶水间八卦时间，抑或是一起下班时。
Sharing your personal life brings you closer to your co-workers and builds trust within your team. But revealing too much about yourself to colleagues, managers or human resources staff can cause difficulties and even endanger your work.
It’s crucial to strike the right balance between getting along with colleagues and maintaining your privacy.
在协调同事关系与保护个人隐私之间保持完美平衡，这点至关重要。
“Communication in the office is tricky. You can neither spread chatter, nor be too silent and shut yourself off from others,” said Yang Yudan, deputy HR director at P&G.
According to her, there are several safe topics to talk about with colleagues during the break, such as the weather or movies. Women like to talk about makeup and clothing, while men are fond of sports and online games.
But discussing your private life, such as relationship, habits or health conditions, is a potential minefield.
但是讨论感情，嗜好或健康状况这类的个人私生活，这会成为一个潜在的雷区。
Cui Xiaxia, 21, who has been working for an IT company for only two months, learned this the hard way when she found out that everyone knew she had broken up with her boyfriend.
“I spoke about it with two colleagues in the tearoom and told my clients via phone, and then the news spread.”
“我在茶水间和两个同事说了这事，又在电话里告诉了我的客户。然后，消息就传开了。”
Her boss finally heard about it and asked her not to let it affect her work performance.
最终，她的老板也听说了这事，提醒她不能让私事影响到工作。
Xu Peng, a human resources director at Gree Electric Appliances Inc in Zhuhai, says that it is improper to talk about private matters on formal occasions, for instance when your boss is assigning work.
珠海格力电器人力资源部部长许鹏表示，在正式场合谈论私事有欠稳妥，比如老板正在分配工作时。
“On Monday we had our weekly meeting to discuss work. Two female colleagues were talking about how they spent the weekend traveling with their boyfriends and buying new clothes,” Xu said. “It was inappropriate.”
Sometimes revealing private matters in an indiscreet manner can result in disastrous consequences.
有时，轻率地泄露隐私会导致灾难性的后果。
Liang Kun, 26, had to resign from his job at a trading company in Guangzhou last week after discussing her income with colleagues during a lunch break. “I didn’t realize it was such a serious issue until a senior member of staff went to find the boss, asking why I got a higher salary than her,” said Liang.
“Then our HR told me that according to the employee handbook it is forbidden to talk about remuneration in the office.”
“之后，人事告诉我，公司员工手册规定，禁止在办公室谈论报酬。”
HR expert Yang also reminds us that paychecks are your own business. It is unwise to share this information with others, no matter how close you are.
人力资源专家杨宇丹也提醒我们，薪水是你的私事。不管你与同事们多亲密，分享这方面的信息绝非明智之举。
“Before you start working for a new company, you should ask about its privacy policy,” she suggested. “Some companies explain this in their contracts or employee handbooks, and you should strictly obey the rules.”
To summarize, Yang advises office workers to be more aware of the image they project when talking to colleagues. “When you share your personal life, it will be recorded on your invisible resume and may slow down your career progression.”