Welcome to the world of office politics, where the art of pretending to care is a delicate dance of feigned interest and calculated indifference. It's a delicate balancing act, where one misstep can lead to a very public, very embarrassing exit interview.
Here are some of the most common pitfalls to watch out for:
The Pretentious Smiles and Sympathetic Ears pitfall, where you pretend to care about your coworker's weekend, but really you're just counting down the minutes until your next meeting.
The Forced Enthusiasm and Empty Words pitfall, where you try to muster up a genuine-sounding "that's great!" or "you go, girl!" but secretly you have no idea what the other person is even saying.
The Backhanded Compliments and Begrudging Responses pitfall, where you give a half-hearted compliment, but really you're just trying to get out of actually doing any real work.
Remember, office politics is a delicate game, but with practice, you too can master the art of pretending to care. Or, at the very least, you can fake it until you make it to the next coffee break.