Don’t let your social life and personal drama overtake your professional presence. First of all, nobody cares. It’s not nearly as interesting as you think it is. This will seem especially harsh to the under 30 group, but don’t take it personally. People are too consumed with their own stuff.

Secondly, you will quickly develop the label as a drama queen or king.

Having family problems or relationship issues? Everyone has them, but they are not the reason you were hired and not what you get paid to do all day long. Park your drama at the door.

If you find that your personal situation is too overwhelming for you to function at work, talk to your HR department to learn what resources might be available to help you cope. An EAP (Employee Assistance Program) may be available to you.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, keep your family business away from the office. While it may not be fair that people judge others and form opinions of people based on what they see and hear about their personal lives, it happens never-the-less. Thirty years ago, a multi-billion dollar industry sprang up around gossip and peering into people’s lives.

No one will admit to being a gossiper, but a lot of people are and your personal business is rich fodder. Keep it to yourself and out of the office discussion pool. It could also have a quirky way of coming back to haunt you.

Minimize personal phone calls on company time. This is especially important if you have friends or family with too much time on their hands. Ask them politely, if you can call them back when you are on your own time. Of course, these days, it’s not phone calls, but hanging out on social media or texting or instant messaging. It cannot be stressed enough how much of a no-no it is hanging out on social media while at work.

Unless you work in social media, i.e. manage social media channels or campaigns and conversations for your company, the likelihood of your being on social media channels for work is highly unlikely and highly inappropriate.