Table of contents
Tips for surviving at work are not about how to be loud or pushy. They are about how to remain functional, a good employee, and a good person within the workplace system.
Basic position. How to get started at a new job?
A lot is decided when you're looking for a job.
If you lie about your knowledge, expectations, or experience, you're only hurting yourself. You might get hired, but the collaboration will be bad. In the best case scenario, you won't feel good about yourself, and in the worst case, they'll quickly say goodbye to you.
Always read what you sign. 🧐
If something in your contract is unclear, ask questions. This is not problematic behavior, but awareness.
HR is not your enemy.
Submit your paperwork on time, do what they ask, and don't fight them unnecessarily. Not because they are always right, but because they are key players in the system.
Communicate important matters in writing, or keep a written record of conversations.
Words fly away. Emails remain.
Work in the hive runs smoothly when everyone knows where the boundaries are and what the rules are. If this is unclear, there will be confusion, not honey.
Boundaries. How not to burn out and become exploitable?
If you accept every extra task without thinking, people will respect you not because of your diligence, but because you are always available.
If you are asked whether you can take on another task, don't automatically say yes.
Ask what it's about, how long it will take, and what the deadline is. This isn't being contrary, it's planning ahead.
A typical situation. Friday afternoon, half past three. „This will just be a quick thing.”
If you reflexively say yes at this point, it will become the default setting next time.
Never say you don't have anything to do. 🙊
You can say that you still have some capacity left, but never that you have nothing to do.
It's not your job to solve your manager's problems.
You can help, but don't take over their responsibility, because it can easily stick to you.
Never do anything that breaks the rules, even if you think it's no big deal.
There are usually connections behind the rules that you cannot see.
The load is also divided in the hive. If the same bee always carries everything, it will first get tired and then disappear. 💔
Money and interests. Don't be naive!
Don't be transparent about your financial situation. Don't talk about extra income or family successes. When it comes to pay raises, you'll be starting from a worse position.
We are not asking for a pay raise based on emotion.
Be proactive for a while, gather your results, extra work, and specific added value. Take these with you to the meeting.
When you ask something of the company, always argue why it will be good for the company.
You don't ask for a new tool because the old one is uncomfortable, but because you can work more efficiently with it.
Bees don't just buzz around. They collect, measure, and count. In the hive, value is always visible.
Relationships and workplace policy
Don't get caught up in gossip! 44! 🚫
This rarely starts out with malicious intent. Someone just complains over coffee. You nod in agreement. The next day, you're already part of the story.
The rumor doesn't stop where it started.
Praise good colleagues, even in front of their managers.
This isn't brown-nosing. It's making yourself visible. Many people burn out not because they work too much, but because no one notices them.
Don't make excuses.
Explaining gives others' values room to override yours. Often, it's enough that you can't solve it.
Social media follow-ups are not mandatory.
You don't have to follow every colleague, especially if you actively post about your life.
A bee does not gossip. It knows that this will make the honey poisonous, and eventually everyone will taste it.
Visibility and proactivity
In many situations, everyone feels that something should be done, but no one takes the first step.
At the end of the meeting, there is silence, even though several people still have questions.
The team building is on hold because everyone is waiting for someone else to get it started.
This is where the person who speaks up comes into the picture. They ask a question. They throw out an idea. They get something started. They don't argue. They just shake off the paralysis.
Observe the style of your leaders.
Some people are interested in details, others only in the essentials. Find the right way to communicate with them.
The hive does not function because everyone buzzes at the same time. Rather, it functions because sometimes one bee changes direction, and the others follow.
Mental and physical self-defense
If your mental or physical health is constantly deteriorating because of your job, change it.
This isn't drama. It's a warning. Money and a comfortable position are worthless if you ruin yourself in the process.
If something isn't right, catch it early on.
Early, calm border demarcation always causes less conflict than a later explosion.
We don't go to work when we're sick. 😷
It's not heroism. It's just contagion. You're guaranteed to be the most hated colleague if you infect half the team.
Don't talk about your job in a negative way that's obvious.
It comes back surprisingly quickly.
Since 2019, the WHO has officially defined it as a workplace phenomenon. burnout.
There is no honey from exhausted bees. Rest is not a luxury, but a basic necessity.
Closing
A good employee is not someone who takes on everything.
But rather someone who knows when to do what and why.
This is not a rebellion.
This is awareness.
These workplace survival tips are not universal rules, but rather guidelines for those who want to function well in the long term. We have previously discussed how workplace culture affects everyday life, for example in this article on The challenges of Generation Z in the workplace you can read.
