A few “helpful suggestions” for my co-worker recommending “minor changes” to one of her web sites, and instantly I am invited to take immediate corrective action. I find myself sitting at her desk, behind her computer, with full access to edit away.
She swaps and starts working from my laptop across the room. This is business as usual for us because we work so closely together. It is only when she starts commenting on my incoming emails, that I mention that the dividing line between us and our personal space has become very thin, an almost invisible dotted- line.
I tease her to grant me full access and passwords to all her sites for my own convenience, because she already has access to my sites (she designed them). Where do you draw the line on all this sharing?
Still sitting at my desk, she reaches for her coffee and catches herself. It is my coffee mug, and that is where I draw the line!
Suzy Ogé is an American born business woman living in The Hague, The Netherlands. 