When it comes to starting your first office job, there are a few things to think about. We’ve put them together and how you can get over these…
Adjusting to office job life can be tough for a lot of reasons. If an office is your first work environment, learning the differences between college and work can be difficult. Some are very obvious. Some are very subtle. The same can be said for most circumstances in which you need to adjust to an office without prior experience: a career change, life-wrecking amnesia and the aforementioned first job.
Below are three tips on how to tap into the essential non-terribleness of office life for those that haven’t yet done so.
Accept that the annoying parts can be the best
If you had mountains of gold, you probably wouldn’t bother coming in. Chances are you’re not making the world better by any profound degree. You probably could get something better but you probably won’t. All these things are nearly always true. That’s OK. You didn’t choose this. There are very few people for whom a day at the office does not contain a note of drudgery, but this does not mean it can’t be fun. There is a lot of bonding to be had over boredom and the high-pressure workloads, so instead of seeing these as impositions, see them as opportunities. The best business people know this to be true.
Avoid office-related health problems
At your office job, be sure to keep a good posture to avoid back pain: this means hips as far back as possible in the chair, feet flat to the floor and knees equal to or below hip height (not higher). Pay attention to pains in your hands that typing brings on too, as this could signal the onset of RSI. You also need to take care of your eyes as you will spend lots of time looking at screens and reading. Be sure to take regular optician appointments to maintain eye health and find out if you need contact lenses or glasses to avoid headaches or eye pain.
Make friends
Friends are essential to a healthy working life, but getting them can sometimes be tricky. To date, a lot has been written on friend-making strategies, but perhaps the most useful for a new starter is the Benjamin Franklin effect. Franklin essentially said that it is not that we do nice things for people we like, but that we like people for whom we do nice things. In other words, people will like you if you ask them to do you a favour. The reason for this has to do with the favour giver seeing the receiver as a source of future (reciprocal) favours – and so as someone positive. The Franklin effect has been verified by psychological research: it’s a literal win/win. Also, be sure to participate in work nights out, coffees or drinks after work to be seen as a team player.
Find out about our top tips for working from home if an office job isn’t your thing!
