Do you keep secrets at the office?

Out of embarrassment, guilt or fear of being judged by co-workers, many people take pains to hide personal diversions or family issues at work.

A growing number of people, for example, are hiding three-martini lunches from co-workers, according to a Bloomberg BusinessWeek feature. Whether they are 'Mad Men' wannabes or just stressed-out layoff survivors trying to relax, more midday diners are downing drinks these days at some New York and Los Angeles restaurants, the article says. A companion story offers advice on hiding the after-effects when returning to work: Scrub down your face and hands, avoid red wine that stains your teeth, down an entrée heavy in garlic or - no kidding - smoke a cigarette to mask the odor of alcohol.

Other office secrets spring from the pressures of family life. Many nursing mothers hide their breast pumps. Others pretend to be working when they make calls to find a sitter or check up on their kids. I once wrote about a magazine editor who planned her children's birthday parties on her office phone while talking in hushed, serious tones and writing on a legal pad; she took copious notes while interviewing a clown. Other working parents call in sick when it is really their child who is ill. I have seen managers who made up excuses to avoid business trips, because their frequent absences were causing so much marital tension. Others claim they are working from home when they are really getting holiday shopping done with family members at the mall.

Still other jugglers try to hide early departures from the office to grab a little more time at home. One reader wrote The Juggle that she felt like she was taking the walk of shame every night as she stole past co-workers at 5:30 p.m. Another mother I interviewed grew so restless by 5 p.m. that she dumped the contents of her purse into a paper bag and told co-workers she was taking some trash out the back door to the dumpster. Leaving her purse at her desk, she slipped into her car and sped away toward home.

I'm not much of a drinker, and I haven't needed to sneak out early for years. Nevertheless, my own office secrets have always had to do with family. When one of my teenagers hit a rough patch, I invariably cloaked the real reason I was distracted or absent, blaming fatigue or some vague 'family business.' And years ago, I kept my divorce secret for more than a year, to give me time to deal privately with the sadness and loss.

Readers, is it hard for you to hide your personal life at work? When is it OK to keep a secret from co-workers or bosses, and when is it wrong? Do you see a rise in co-workers' private vices?

Sue Shellenbarger

• companion [kəm´pæniən] n.同伴；同事；伴侣 (初中英语单词)
• pretend [pri´tend] v.假装；借口；妄求 (初中英语单词)
• working [´wə:kiŋ] a.工人的；劳动的 (初中英语单词)
• writing [´raitiŋ] n.书写；写作；书法 (初中英语单词)
• frequent [´fri:kwənt] a.常见的，频繁的 (初中英语单词)
• holiday [´hɔlidi] n.假日，假期，节日 (初中英语单词)
• restless [´restləs] a.没有休息的 (初中英语单词)
• contents [´kɔ:ntents] n.容纳物；要旨 (初中英语单词)
• nevertheless [,nevəðə´les] conj.&ad.然而；不过 (初中英语单词)
• absent [´æbsənt, əb´sent] a.不在的 vt.使缺席 (初中英语单词)
• divorce [di´vɔ:s] n.离婚 vt.同....离婚 (初中英语单词)
• invariably [in´veəriəbli] ad.不变地；永恒地 (高中英语单词)
• fatigue [fə´ti:g] n.&vt.(使)疲劳(劳累) (高中英语单词)
• sadness [´sædnis] n.悲哀；悲痛；凄惨 (高中英语单词)
• embarrassment [im´bærəsmənt] n.窘迫；困惑；为难 (英语四级单词)
• trying [´traiiŋ] a.难堪的；费劲的 (英语四级单词)
• midday [´middei] n.中午 (英语四级单词)
• tension [´tenʃən] n.紧张；压力；拉力 (英语四级单词)
• garlic [´gɑ:lik] n.蒜，大蒜 (英语六级单词)
• copious [´kəupiəs] a.丰富的；冗长的 (英语六级单词)
• taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)
• privately [´praivitli] ad.秘密，一个人 (英语六级单词)