Divulging too much isn’t always the best career move. You want to nurture the image your boss had of you when deciding to bring you on board. You do need to open up and communicate; being overly reserved won’t help you build a constructive bond.

A good rule of thumb is to avoid making your boss uncomfortable. You definitely don’t want to make him or her cringe but it’s hard to find the right balance. How much information is too much? Here are eight things you should remember.

Sick excuses

You’re calling in sick or you’re back from a sick day. Don’t give your boss a play by play of the stuff that came out of your body. Don’t use words like dry heaving. These embellishments won’t make your boss more sympathetic nor will it make your story sound more credible. You’ll only succeed in making your boss uncomfortable. It’s fine to be sick every once in a while. You’re legally entitled to an allotment of sick days.

Fatal attraction

Don’t tell your boss you’re attracted to him or her. Don’t mention that your boss showed up in a sexy dream last night. Don’t compliment his / her nice body. Don’t put either of yourselves in such a dangerous position. The imbalance of power is not in your favour. Save face, save your job. Keep things professional. This is no line to cross for any boss worth his or her salt.

Hold tight

You’re in a work-related meeting with your boss and there’s something non-work related weighing on your mind. You had decided to wait until your next therapy session to talk about it, but it’s interfering with your ability to concentrate. Your boss is looking pretty approachable at the moment. Should you bring it up? No. Even if you’re about to have a breakthrough, don’t tell your boss. Call your therapist and try to get an earlier appointment. Call your best friend. Write it in your journal. Check out YouTube for 10-minute guided meditation at your desk.

Mum’s the word

You got lucky last night. You’re beaming this morning. Even if you’re asked point-blank why you’re in such a good mood you should hold this one back. Same thing goes if you’re out at a restaurant / bar / conference with your boss and you run into a notch on your belt. You exchange pleasantries and make the appropriate introductions (if you’re still on speaking terms) but you do not turn to your boss with a sly fox raised eyebrow and let on that any coveting happened.

Boss from the past

You have a wicked story about a boss from your past. You love telling it because your old boss sounds so ridiculous and you come off like a regular hero. Portraying your former supervisor or manager like a buffoon or in any derogatory manner will only make your current boss worry about the sort of legacy they will be dealt. You don’t want to instil doubt. And you don’t want your boss to start thinking of you in the future past tense. Skip the story.

Work well

You’re in a mood. You really don’t feel like working today. Plunging toilets is more appealing to you than doing your job today (unless that’s your job in which case I leave it to you to think of something worse.) Never articulate that or anything to make you sound like an ungrateful, entitled brat because it could irk your boss into doing something that will remind you how replaceable you really are.

Past imperfect

We’ve all done things we aren’t proud of but learned from. They might be sure to incite a laugh. But they will cost you your polished professional image. Don’t tell your boss what you snorted in college. Don’t bring up that thing for which you were acquitted. Or the year you spent in an institution for wearing tights and acting like a vigilante. All of them, fantastic growing experiences. Keep them to yourself.

Sorry Boss

Your boss keeps handing you projects with delivery dates you can’t possibly meet unless you stay late and come in on the weekend. Don’t say yes all the time. Occasional overtime is normal. But you need to set expectations with your boss. Don’t promise the impossible. Don’t overextend yourself all of the time. It’s unreasonable and unsustainable. Adjust your burnout inducing workload before you’re too depleted. Or start looking elsewhere.