When you divorce, you’re on an emotional roller coaster; often, it’s hard to separate work from your personal life when your personal life is in turmoil. Between meetings with your Raleigh divorce lawyer, disagreements with your soon-to-be ex and carving out your place in the world as a single person, it’s tough to leave your problems in the parking lot.
Sharing the ups and downs of your divorce is healthy—but only when you do it appropriately. In most cases, you should build a strong, thick wall between your work and your divorce. Save the sharing for family and friends.
Drowning Your Sorrows at the Water Cooler
While it’s tempting to talk to anyone who will listen, sharing details about your private life at work can spell trouble. An office gossip might spread your news far and wide, creating a snowball effect with false “facts” and conjectures; that’s the last thing you need your boss to hear. A well-meaning acquaintance might dig too deep and cause you more pain, or the company flirt might think you’re back on the market. There are myriad problems that can arise from over-sharing your personal life at work, and you’ll probably do best to keep the details to yourself.
Missed Work, Distractions and Loss of Focus
It’s completely normal for your productivity to suffer while you’re going through a divorce. You’ll probably miss a few days of work for court or you might have to take a few moments out of your day to call your Raleigh divorce lawyer. Divorce puts a lot on your mind, so thinking about what your ex did to you or making mental lists of things you need to tell your Raleigh divorce lawyer can intrude on your work.
Accepting that these things are part of the normal divorce process is a start. Don’t blame yourself for not focusing or for being easily distracted. If you can sail through divorce without negative side-effects, let your Raleigh divorce lawyer know—you two can publish a ground-breaking book and make millions telling others how to do the same thing.
If Your Story Leaks…
When your co-workers find out you’re getting a divorce, the best you can do is damage control. People who hope to be helpful might approach you to ask what’s going on. If they do, simply say, “I’m so sorry you had to hear about my issues. I’m trying to keep my personal life separate from work.”
You will probably find it necessary to tell some people yourself. Your supervisor needs to know that you may need to take personal days for court, that you might have to meet your Raleigh divorce lawyer during your lunch hour or that you’ll have a longer commute into work and will need time to adjust your schedule.
Tell your Raleigh divorce lawyer right away if your employment situation changes during your divorce. He or she will explain how your new situation might affect your case (including whether it impacts alimony or the division of your marital property).
