Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Today's question is from an Anonymous reader and is a pretty touchy subject. How do you balance talking to your spouse or girlfriend about what you are doing and sharing that part of your life with them when you are legally not allowed to disclose most of what you do each day?
So the question really is: "How do you handle NDA's when talking to your significant other?"
I will first give you the eternal words of wisdom handed down from father to son for many generations: "Happy wife means happy life." That said, there are some important things to consider. Since each studio potentially has different rules and etiquette regarding such things...first see what having your spouse sign an NDA with the studio will cover. Don't assume it covers talking outside of the office since it could only cover that day's visit inside the studio walls.
If that doesn't cover your needs then I think it really comes down to what the individual is comfortable with. Sure you can try to take the route of being vague when it comes to specifics, but even with that you are likely so slip every now and then. Not to mention, if you generally talk to your spouse about things that bother you then it's much better to do that then take out those frustrations at work in a place where it could damage your career.
There's also the issue of trust with who you are talking to. Is your significant other someone who is likely to slip up when talking to others? If so, the amount of info you are willing to share should probably take a significant decline.
While I may not have exactly answered the question, I think it's a really touchy subject that you have to be very careful with and decide what is best for you.
Meant to comment on this the other day but I couldn't from my work computer.
This is such a good question! My husband and I both work in the gaming industry, so I often wonder if we're doing it right. We don't go out of our way to tell each other things that are under NDA, but sometimes with two people living and working in such quarters, it just happens.
Ultimately we trust each other, and know the other isn't going to run off and tell the internet or break a news story about secret info. However, I have definitely thought about this before, and I'm glad I'm not the only one!
Do you work at different companies? If so, I hadn't even thought about that wrinkle and the extra caution that might require.