Office water coolers are a great way to keep hydrated and healthy, because we all need to drink water regularly in order to stay hydrated and healthy and keep our brains sharp and able to function effectively at work. Drinking water regularly also fights fatigue, depression and various other health problems.
Strangely enough, investing in an office water cooler is also very good for any business, as apart from keeping the staff complement healthy and productive, they also engender something known as water cooler chats which are, as many bosses have discovered.
Water cooler chats are not, as first thought, a waste of time, but an opportunity for great networking and bonding among colleagues. While taking a break to get some a lovely drink of chilled water from the water cooler is a healthy for you and a good opportunity to bond with your colleagues, there are some things that one should never discuss around the water cooler.
Water cooler etiquette dictates that one should never:
Discuss Religion or Politics: We all have our own ideas regarding our personal reliefs, and to discuss religion with someone that is an agnostic or just has other ideas is not a good idea and can become very personal very quickly. Ditto for politics!
Relationships: It is not a good idea to air your dirty laundry at work unless it is to a colleague with whom you are friends outside of work. Discussing the major fight you had with your girlfriend or boyfriend the previous night or the fact that your teen nephew has just been arrested for drugs is a definite case of Too Much Information (TMI).
Finances: Discussing salaries, bonuses or simply how much you paid for that new is a definite no-no as it is bound to make at least one person in the conversation feel awkward, embarrassed or even envious.
Health: Giving a blow-by-blow account of your visit to the gastroenterologist or a detailed account of how your gout is affecting you is not cool. If someone enquires after your health, giving a brief update is fine, but no more than that.
