It’s an exciting prospect to start a new job. You’re on a high from having cleared the interview and leaving your competitors behind. Now starts the task of adjusting to the new office culture. Even seasoned professionals get nervous about handling a new corporate culture but there’s no reason to feel overwhelmed.
At HiCounselor we know becoming acclimated to new ways of doing things takes time. To help ease the process, we’ve created this guide to adapt to a new work culture. If you’re looking for more personalized help in shaping your career, get in touch with us to find out how we can be of help.
When you join a new office, you should be ready for things to be different from what you’re used to. Don’t have any fixed expectations about how things will be even if you’ve been in the same field for a while. To handle changes with ease, you have to anticipate them. You can even look forward to seeing how things pan out when they’re handled in a way that’s different from what you’ve done so far. Try to be excited about the changes instead of dreading them.
Some changes may pleasantly surprise you, while others will be more unwelcome. Humans are creatures of habit and sometimes we react negatively to changes simply because they’re very new to us. Don’t throw your hands up when faced with a new way of doing something. Give yourself some time to get the hang of things before you decide whether they work for you or not. Experts say it takes around 90 days to adjust to a new work culture so wait it out.
Most workplaces follow the leader when it comes to corporate culture. Your new work culture is probably set by the boss too. Pay attention to how your boss likes things done. Are they to-the-point or tangential? Do they talk about the big picture or focus on the tiniest details? Do they give the employees a free hand or micromanage everything? Figuring out how the top dog likes things done will make you less nervous and make it easier for you to adapt to the new work culture.
One of the best ways to acclimate to a new corporate setting is to get to know your colleagues. Build relationships with those around you to ease yourself into this new system. Try to understand what each person does so you know the flow of things. Be aware of the hierarchies. Even if people are rather informal with each other, you should always be aware of their roles and responsibilities. Take your cues from how people behave with each other and try to follow suit.
Some processes at your new job will probably be very different from what you’re used to. There may be some steps that make little to no sense to you. Try not to complain about these. Most office systems have been created keeping certain things in mind. Sometimes this feels like pointless repetition or red tape. Whatever your thoughts and feelings about this, there’s probably a good reason that management has set things up this way so just wait and watch.
Change can be hard for most of us. Just look at how belligerent people get when some app changes its interface or layout. It’ll probably take a little bit of time to adjust but people resent that change, even if it might make things better. Don’t dig in your heels about how you like to do things. Give the changes a chance by being flexible and open to new ideas. You may find out that you prefer the new methods and might even miss them once you move on to a different work culture!
Adapting to a new work culture can be confusing but you can make things easier for yourself by asking for help. If your new office uses terminology you’re unfamiliar with or the processes seem new to you, just ask a manager or a colleague to help you out. Explain to them that you have tackled things differently in the past and want to make sure you’re on the right track here. Most people would rather tell you what to do now than spend time and effort fixing your mistakes later.
Most of the time, we can adjust to a new corporate culture with a little bit of effort. However, there are times when the new culture isn’t something we can take in stride. If you’ve given the job a couple of months of solid effort and can’t seem to make any progress, you might want to consider leaving. Sometimes, a work culture isn’t the right fit for us no matter how hard we try and there’s no shame in calling it quits. You can look for a new opportunity and hope for greener pastures ahead.
We hope these tips help you adapt to a new work culture with greater ease! If you find yourself wanting to explore more job offers, get in touch with us at HiCounselor and let our experts handle the tough part of looking for the right jobs for you! We also have a range of helpful services that can make your professional life proceed more smoothly, so get in touch with us to find out more.
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