First-Day No Nos: 3 Ways to Avoid Coworker Hate

First-Day No Nos: 3 Ways to Avoid Coworker Hate


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Starting a new job can be exciting and nerve-wrecking at the same time. You may ask yourself questions like: Will my co-workers hate me? How can I get to know them? How can I become their friend? While there’s no job that requires you to be best buddies with your co-workers, there are a couple of rules to the game below that will prevent you from asking questions that will have you developing office enemies:

Never inquire about someone’s salary: It’s natural for you to wonder how much your coworker, whose job is similar to yours, gets paid just to see if you’re earning a competitive salary. However, asking about the details of someone’s paycheck is never a good thing and it can easily put you in the zone of that nosey co-worker that needs to mind his/her own business.

Never push the envelope with questions about personal issues: It’s not your job to be the office counselor and solve everyone’s problem. When you see a coworker who looks like they’re having a bad day, now is not the time to ask 21 questions. Say hello, make small talk, and keep it moving. Trust me, they’d much rather your small office chat over personal questions they’re likely apprehensive about answering.

Never start office gossip: Every office has its own fair share of gossip and inside news about their co-workers, but it’s never a good look when someone can point the finger at who’s the cause of the in-house drama. If you hear news about office enemies, just listen and keep it moving, no need to add your two cents and spread unnecessary information.


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