3 ways to deal with a nosy coworker

3 ways to deal with a nosy coworker3 ways to deal with a nosy coworkerYou start a new job, and in an effort to get to know your coworkers better, you make small talk at the water cooler and in the hallways. But after a few weeks, you notice that unlike everyone else, one person repeatedly draws negative attention to how you decide to live your life.Heres how to handle colleagues who live to see you sweat, while learning personal information about you that youd rather keep private.Remember that you dont owe them anythingFirst of all, its your life, and you dont have to tell anyone at work about things youd rather not get into.While authenticity at work is crucial, theres a difference between sharing appropriate things about yourself here and there in an effort to connect with your colleagues, and being forced to spill the beans on sensitive topics.So dont give your nosy coworker all the power - this should make it easier for you to stand up for yourself.Try using a few of these phras esAlison Green, author of the Ask a Manager blog,suggests using these lines (among others) to stop nosy coworkers in their tracksId rather not get into it at work I like to keep that type of thing private, Thats between me and my husband/wife/accountant, and Thats awfully personal are just a few she recommends telling a colleague who doesnt get your first few hints.Show them that its time to move onLifehacker readers told the publication about the most annoying things that happen to them at work when the site posted a call for them, and then the site came up with a few of the most common themes and recommendations for irritating people and situations.The section on The Hoverer (someone who comes to your desk for something and fails to leave for a while once done), features advice that might also just work for nosy coworkers.If for some reason you cant tell a coworker that you you need to get back to work, then offer a few subtle cues that the conversation is over. Weve outlineda fe w of these cues before, including ask your chatty coworker to pick up some of your slack, talk about topics they dont know, or be as uninteresting as possible.Remember, you have the power to shut down nosy coworkers who make you feel uncomfortable.