More than half of employees don’t want a hug during the workday

john-schnobrich-2FPjlAyMQTA-unsplash-1A number of employees feel some aspects of their workplace lack personal-professional boundaries, according to recently released research.

More than half (53 percent), for instance, are uncomfortable when their coworkers gossip too much. Thirty-nine percent feel the same way when their colleagues talk about politics at work.

Unwanted physical contact in the workplace can be another issue. Fifty-one percent of employees believe hugging doesn’t belong in a professional environment; 31 percent say they’ve received an unwelcome hug at work.

Communication methods, including social media, are also a concern for some workers. More than a third — 37 percent — believe their coworkers act too informally on workplace chat or messaging.

Forty-six percent of employees say they’ve felt pressured to accept a friend request on social media from a coworker. Despite LinkedIn being a career-oriented venue, only 22 percent of employees say they’re connected to their boss on the site; whereas 50 percent of workers are friends with their manager on Facebook.

For more about the ways employees may not be maintaining professional boundaries with coworkers, view the report on workplace boundaries from Udemy.