There Is No Freedom of Speech in the Workplace
This is a lament once shared by a friend who worked at a major corporation in Korea.
He was highly capable, socially adept, and possessed a natural sense of humor that made him well-liked by colleagues and seniors alike.
His career progression was relatively swift.
Perhaps for these reasons, coworkers often confided their grievances about the company to him.
One evening, during a company dinner, a colleague began voicing dissatisfaction with the organization.
My friend, finding himself in agreement, offered a few words of affirmation.
It was the sort of sentiment that nearly everyone present quietly shared—so much so that most nodded along in silent concurrence.
He was highly capable, socially adept, and possessed a natural sense of humor that made him well-liked by colleagues and seniors alike.
His career progression was relatively swift.
Perhaps for these reasons, coworkers often confided their grievances about the company to him.
One evening, during a company dinner, a colleague began voicing dissatisfaction with the organization.
My friend, finding himself in agreement, offered a few words of affirmation.
It was the sort of sentiment that nearly everyone present quietly shared—so much so that most nodded along in silent concurrence.
Yet before long, several individuals who had been present at that gathering repeated those very remarks in conversations with their superiors.
Rather than voicing their own discontent, they effectively used my friend as a proxy.
In the aftermath, he found himself—without ever realizing how—branded as “someone harboring significant dissatisfaction with the company.” Given that the firm was already in a sensitive state due to declining sales, it is hardly surprising that his prospects thereafter were far from smooth.
Rather than voicing their own discontent, they effectively used my friend as a proxy.
In the aftermath, he found himself—without ever realizing how—branded as “someone harboring significant dissatisfaction with the company.” Given that the firm was already in a sensitive state due to declining sales, it is hardly surprising that his prospects thereafter were far from smooth.
The American cultural anthropologist Edward Hall once suggested that the appropriate interpersonal distance among colleagues in the workplace is approximately 1.2 meters—just beyond arm’s reach.
It is a distance not for sharing private thoughts, but for maintaining courtesy and formality.
The implication is clear: do not reveal what lies in your heart too freely, even to those you consider close.
One might ask how it is possible to endure the sterility of professional life without a confidant.
This is not to suggest that one should live as an island.
Rather, it is to say that within the workplace, relationships are best sustained by observing a certain distance—one of about 1.2 meters.
—From Reporter's Notes by Ki Jun Kwon —
It is a distance not for sharing private thoughts, but for maintaining courtesy and formality.
The implication is clear: do not reveal what lies in your heart too freely, even to those you consider close.
One might ask how it is possible to endure the sterility of professional life without a confidant.
This is not to suggest that one should live as an island.
Rather, it is to say that within the workplace, relationships are best sustained by observing a certain distance—one of about 1.2 meters.
—From Reporter's Notes by Ki Jun Kwon —
Today's Reflection
★ The workplace is neither a home nor a social club.
One of the great wisdoms of professional life lies in knowing which words are better left unsaid. ★
One of the great wisdoms of professional life lies in knowing which words are better left unsaid. ★
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