Going to work, completing the 8-10 hours, and coming back does not only define our office life. It is also the way we handle things, the way we react, the way we take things, keep them to ourselves, or give out what we feel. And a lot of times, we all try to hide or suppress a few emotions, which we think will put us in the spotlight or reveal too much about ourselves, or change that "simple employee image". Hence, we all are conscious of being vulnerable at work.
Vulnerability means the quality of being open to the extent of someone might attack or harm you.
Being vulnerable at work means to be able to use your strengths as equally as your weaknesses. It does not make you a weaker person; in fact can help you overcome your weaknesses, when used properly.This type of consciousness prevails when we are new to the job; in some people, it may persist for the whole of their office life. On the contrary: To be authentic is a new style of living; slowly and subtly the style is moving into our corporate lives too. To encourage a comfortable atmosphere at work, a lot of companies are taking steps to make employees feel a sense of belonging. And we, as employees too, want a break from "work-mode" in between, and our own efforts with the company's support can make us be even better at the job, including our personal growth.
The circumstances that often take place with us at work make us hesitant to engage in workplace friendship. The colleagues that we have may become good friends with us but we also want to not be so vulnerable that anyone can take the advantage of our weakness or emotion. Hence, we try to draw a line very soon when we join the office.
THE KEY IS BALANCE AND BOUNDARIES
Of course, both are in your hands. There should always be space, a boundary, that one should create in order to prevent too much intrusion;
In your decisions, in your personal lives, one should be aware of when and how to draw the line before too much intrusion. And even if you allow too much influx, one should be able to handle it and be strong enough to not get affected to an extent of the damage. Check How to be Vulnerable yet emerge strong; Note the benefits of vulnerability-
Vulnerability is not that bad for you!
Being vulnerable makes you more trustworthy and lets others open to you the same way
And it does not have to mean that everything has to be shared - it is absolutely your choice to filter what and when!
The other person should respect that boundary and must not judge you for why you did not tell him something that was completely your decision to make.
You avoiding the answers to certain questions should be accepted as much as your openness to sharing
You as an employee as well as a friend should be able to keep certain information as confidential as required
You should also be able to be as assertive when it comes to keeping important information from your friend/ colleague so that it becomes standard for the subsequent times
Your vulnerability has to be handled well with much assertiveness as well as grace. It should make you professionally strong to handle each type of personality while winning the trust of everyone.