By: Molly Fox
With being a recent college grad and having an internship
for a local government municipality for the past 4 summers through college, I
have learned a thing or two on working in an office and how to be a tolerable,
good coworker. It really is not that
hard, especially for being young and new to the work place I have picked up
some helpful tips.
1.
Do
not office gossip
There are probably things that are
going to piss you off in an office every day. Whether it is a paper jam in the
printer or a paper cut on your thumb in the most sensitive spot, things are
going to try and get you down on a daily work day. It is okay to voice some of
those moment where you want to throw the copier out the window. When it comes
to fellow coworkers try and keep your mouth shut. No one likes a gossiper
especially in a professional setting. There are going to be people in your
office that you just do not see eye to eye on certain things and someone you
just cannot stand. You do not have to be BFF’s with everyone in your office so
it is okay to have these feelings. Do not go run your mouth to every other
person in the office about the people you can’t stand. It does not look good on
you and you should not be spreading around all the people you do not like. Keep
it to yourself, or blog about it! Go back to what your teacher said in 2nd
grade, if you do not have anything nice to say, do not say anything. For all you
know, your office could be bugged and your boss could be hearing every little
gossipy thing out of your mouth. Call your mom, friend, boyfriend, or vent to
your dog at home about your feelings towards other coworkers. Do not bring it
to the office, try and make your work life as easy as possible for you.
Remember to keep a positive attitude every work day, it will make your life
easier. Also remember, do not take to social media about work. “My boss frickin
SUCKS” is not a status you want to have posted for all your friends to see. It
could fall into the wrong hands and you are forever screwed.
2.
Lend
a Helping Hand
If you see a person in the next cubicle
phone ringing off the hook or a million and half papers to go through, try and
help them out a little. Ask them if they need help to run some copies or grab a
cup of coffee for them. Yes, you may be busy yourself but when you have a million
and half papers to go through and 100 e mails to read you may want someone to
come over and ask you if you need anything. Even if they turned down your offer
they will notice you lent a helping hand and eventually return the favor.
3.
Keep
your desk space clean
Try and keep any personal space of
yours clean, organization is everything. No one wants to walk by your desk and
see your half eaten granola bar crumbs everywhere. It reflects you. I understand
you cannot control the stacks of papers you need to go through that pile up on
your desk. Try and keep in as neat as possible. Have a calendar on your desk
with important dates and times, it shows you have organization skills.
4.
Do
not be on your phone all day.
Of course it’s okay to check the
occasional Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snap Chat. Try and keep this at
the minimum. I understand there is a lot that goes on in the social media world
that you need to be updated on, but try and focus at the task at hand. You
never know when your boss is turning the corner to see you LOLing at a funny
vine. Trust me, from experience, your boss will not be happy.
No comments:
Post a Comment