When reports say 52% of employees are not engaged at work, you can bet they have negative thoughts ready to be vocalized. Complaining or venting about your workplace might be therapeutic and keep you from giving your coworkers, boss, or customers the business, but those words don’t dissolve into the atmosphere. Connectivity is "the cat’s meow" thanks to rapid technological advancements, and with it a new surge in communication. But, as life has shown us, with benefits come consequences.

Our fervor for open, “honest”, communication has torn down the limiters between our brains and mouths. Instead of thinking for a millisecond about what we are going to say – is it worth it, do I mean it, is it appropriate, how will this reflect on me, could it be offensive, am I being respectful, etc. – we just let our preemie-thoughts fly. What’s worse is how many platforms are available for us to preach errantly. Social media, text messages, and Snapchat allow us to say whatever we could say face-to-face with one exception – what has been said is now documented and logged.

I love that we can speak our truths, and if you have thoughts on a recent movie or the political arena, then I say speak with your brain-mouth! BUT, if you are going to take digs at Karen from Marketing during post-work drinks, then remind yourself to eat a how bowl of HUSH.

You Don’t Know Who to Trust

The sub-heading may sound conspiratorial, but if we are honest with ourselves we know it to be true. Unless it is a tried-and-true friend or family member, be cautious about what you divulge. It’s not because they are secretly out to get you, but we don’t know what others say in conversations. I might tell an acquaintance about some horrid lady that came into the restaurant I serve at, feeling secure there is no way they know one another. Wrong.

It’s a small world separated by six degrees. You would be surprised by who knows who. That acquaintance may know that horrid lady and tell her my side of the story which leads to her making a detailed complaint to the restaurant – inevitably ending with my butt in the hot seat.

This goes double for when speaking to co-worker-friends. Just because you have chemistry behind the front desk doesn’t mean you share the same views on a boss. You may want to show off your newest impression of that dictatorial monster that signs your checks, but refrain. They will probably laugh with you in the moment (because it IS a good impression), but they could snitch on you later in hopes of a promotion or good graces. This is America, and people will do what they need to climb the ladder.

You Don’t Know Who Can Overhear You

Someone close to me is deathly afraid of being overheard by anyone, resulting in many whispered conversations. We don’t even need to be in public – we could be in complete private and they’ll still whisper if what is being said could be considered gossip or a complaint. While this is extreme and unnecessary, being careful with what we say in public is a wise practice.

We can’t help but listen in on other conversations. We might be bored and need something to do, or another party is speaking about something interesting louder than they intend. Regardless, what we say in public is at the mercy of those around us. You could rant and rave that eavesdropping is uncouth, but can you honestly say you haven’t?

You might be on the phone with your significant other at Trader Joe’s complaining about your company and say something that interests another shopper. I can’t say what they would do with that information, but that last thing you want is to be called to your boss’s office to see a video of you at Trader Joe’s, talking trash about the company. It happens.

You Don’t Know Who Sees What You Say

You could have the most private online profiles, and nobody gets near your text messages. Yet, like life, words find a way (thanks Jeff Goldblum). What we text and say online can hang out for a while, waiting to resurface at the most inopportune time. Before hitting enter/send, consider the permanence of the message. You can delete it from your side, but it’s no longer yours to control. Even Snapchat is dangerous. It will let you know if someone took a screenshot, but that doesn’t keep what you said out of other hands.

We jump the gun on information, or at least I have before. You may have some juicy gossip about a co-worker or boss, but it may be wildly inaccurate. Or it may be accurate, but not for public knowledge. Everyone is a private dick nowadays, and it’s easy to find the source of the leak. If someone in your office is having an affair, you don’t want to be the one who announced it to the world.

Be Professional, Not a Complainer

All of these are fine reasons to refrain from speaking negatively about your place of work, but they are based in self-preservation. Don’t do things simply to save your hide – do things to better yourself and your workplace. Firstly, professionals don’t spend their time talking trash about their employer or those they work with. This comes from their awareness that they might be the focus of trash-talk, and the maturity not to partake.

Trust me, for every time you’ve complained about someone, others have complained about you.

Second, nobody enjoys hanging out with a complainer. It’s not fun, and we begin to think about how a complainer sees the world. Instead of being down on your employer, find the positives to speak about. Or, change your complaints into discussion regarding the challenges you wish to overcome at work. Same content, different wrapping.

Finally, find something relaxing and active to do during your non-work hours. Spending it complaining about work isn’t healthy and will warp your health over time. Complaints could be related to stress, so the more complaining about work suggests greater personal stress. For your own mental/physical health find a better way to spend leisure time than ranting about Delta’s horrible business practices.

Whether you are just entering the workforce or have been a disgruntled part of the workforce for years, avoiding trash talk about work is invaluable advice for preventing unnecessary issues.