There will be times when you find you are the odd man out on an issue, and you may feel pressured to talk about stuff you don’t want to. One of my friends reported that though he was happy at his new job, he was having a hard time fitting in because conversations at the office were often about other coworkers or company politics. He finally decided he simply wasn’t going to look for any work friends among the people who gossiped. I thought that was a really smart move.
Remember: The principles of etiquette give you the tools to control any situation. If you aren’t comfortable with the way a certain conversation is going, politely say to the other person, “I’m sorry, I’m just not comfortable with this conversation.” Or, simply refuse to engage yourself in the conversation, and quietly leave.
