If you have recently joined a new company, it’s quite possible that you could face some peer pressure during the first few months. Though the teams and organizations may differ in their work-culture, but still, there is some expectation level that you must conform to in order to gain the acceptance of your team—peers as well as your seniors.
Sometimes, it becomes difficult to adjust in the new environment due to geographical, cultural and perceptional differences. However, the key is to take first 3-6 months as your training period even if you have 10 years of experience behind you. You should believe that you are becoming part of a new family and it takes time before people open to each other building trust and confidence in the due process.
Below are some points that will come handy for you:
Understand the dynamics and openness in the atmosphere
Every organization, like every family, follows its own dynamics and level of openness among its members. Sometimes, it is very opposite to what you have enjoyed in your previous organization. You might find that team members don’t talk about personal stuff or their social life. Or on the other side, you might find that they are quite open and like to interact with other even after office hours. So, it is better to observe for first 3 months how the organization works and behaves in terms of general communication and informal talks.
Don’t make perceptions too quickly
Though the first impression is the most crucial one, yet try to keep your mind open towards your team members to make perceptions about them. Usually, it takes time before you can judge others in terms of your own beliefs and principles. Don’t take the first impression to be the last impression—they could be pretentious and aloof in the beginning but may turn to be warm and friendly as they come to know you in a better way.
Don’t mind their jeers and pranks
In the beginning, you might find their jeering, comments, pranks to be hurting. It is a natural reaction but understand that everybody among them knows each other better, you are new to them and you might not know the motives of their pranks in the depth. Try to shrug-off such situations in a candid way and surprise them with your pleasant demeanor. This will help you in winning their confidence.
Bide with the rules
In the US, as an issue of compliance,state and federal labor law posters must be visible in the office space. Generally, the HR people will tell you about the basic regulations. But there are many adjustments apart from the rules that you might need to make in order to make your stay comfortable. The cafeteria could be costlier a bit. The IT department may have some formalities before you can get them to fix your computer issues. All such things might be different from what you had in your previous company. Make sure these don’t rub off on you. And know how to be safe at the new workplace.
Be true to your senior/boss
It’s pretty important that you work to build the trust of your senior or boss. It’s absolutely necessary. If your senior knows your value and work-ethics, you don’t have to worry about the work politics that might have bugged a lot of other employees. If you are true to your work and job, you senior will vouch for you whenever the need arises.
Conclusion
It’s easy to get offended from differences but the winners don’t give up that easily—they find their ways to get in and build their own niche. If you don’t lose hope and enthusiasm and take your time, you are sure to succeed in your new assignment with flying colors.
About the guest post author:
As an employee herself, Ivy Liu pays primary attention to his employment rights and studies the employment laws whenever possible. Ivy Liu likes to share her findings and help those who are concerned on employment issues through writing articles on employment posters, minimum wage, workplace security and other topics. For more details, please pay attention to her twitter: https://twitter.com/MandatoryPoster.