How to Adapt to the Culture of Your New Workplace More Quickly: A Self-Study Guide
By Alexander Lyon, Ph.D.
New employees are seldom effective during our first month on the job. We’re too busy learning the often-confusing cultural expectations of our new workplace. Some organizations are quite explicit about what they expect. However, it’s the unspoken, assumed norms that cause us the most anxiety and decrease our effectiveness. Most of us want to fit in and would be willing to adjust if we just knew what was expected.
Surely, organizations should know their own norms well enough to communicate them clearly to new employees. Unfortunately, most don’t. At the same time, we must accept the responsibility to adapt to the culture. New employees should take initiative to learn about the following basic features of workplaces.
Expectations about Time
Time, as they say, is money. Thus, it’s important to notice how people treat time regarding the starting and endings of meetings, the length of presentations, the importance of deadlines, expectations about how long various tasks should take, etc. We should pay attention to when people arrive at and leave work. Official policies about time often clash with actual norms. Some organizations claim to have “flextime,” for instance, but that doesn’t mean people actually use it. We don’t want to be the only one showing up at 10:00 a.m. if people normally show up at 8:30 a.m. To make sure, we should observe actual behavior to learn about how people handle time.
Formality of Relationships
The way people relate to each other differs significantly across professional settings. Some workplaces are serious. Others are informal and social. Some organizations still use “Mr.” and “Mrs.” I once worked at an organization that preferred last names only, “Have you seen Jones?” Others use first names, even for the CEO. Still, we should not assume we’ll become Facebook buddies with their new boss or “fist bump” the president in the hall. We should adapt to the relational tone the veterans set and err on the side of formality when we’re not sure.
The Use of Technology
Workplace norms about technology are still emerging. If we get unduly “lost” in the technology, it can hurt our transition into a new job. We should look for clues to answer the following questions. When, if ever, is it okay to text around others? Should we walk around with our IPOD buds in our ears? Is talking on our cell phone or blue tooth earpiece around others a good idea? The answers depend upon the organization. However, one thing is clear. It’s almost always safer to use less technology in a new job until you learn the norms. Nobody will ever say, “Hey buddy, you’re not texting enough at meetings while I’m talking.” A good rule of thumb is that the people in the room should be given a higher priority than your technology.
What “Hard Work” Looks Like
“Hard work” looks different to each organization. It’s a tricky issue. Some organizations want to see you at your desk a lot. To them, that’s what working hard looks like. In contrast, other workplaces would prefer you to be out talking with clients, collaborating in a conference room, or doing hands on work somewhere. Some workplaces like it when you stay late and “burn the midnight oil.” The same organizations, however, may not necessarily give you any credit for coming in early. Other organizations do. We’d better learn what hard work looks like and get to it if we want to stick around. This is clearly an issue of perception but it matters.
Dress
The rules about how to dress have become very diverse. Suits and ties are still the norm in some organizations. Other places “hate ties,” as a friend recently told me. Did you know that some organizations expect you to donate money (e.g., $3 to a charity) to dress down on Fridays? “Dress Down Mondays” have also come into practice. Apparently, some companies are trying to make Mondays a little less painful. Also, the terms people use for attire can be very confusing. There’s “business formal,” “business,” “professional,” “business casual,” “casual,” etc. The labels themselves mean different things to different people. When we’re new, it’s best to just ask a few people directly what they normally wear and what you should wear. Of course, if we overdress, it is much easier to hang our jacket on the back of our chair than it is to find a spare jacket laying around.
Most new employees want to blend in and do well. When we are deliberate about learning the cultural expectations at a new job, we’ll become more comfortable and effective earlier. At the same time, companies that go the extra mile to help their new hires adjust will also save themselves time and money in the long run. Adjustments on both sides will go more smoothly the more explicit we make our assumed expectations.
Dr. Alexander Lyon is a professor and professional speaker and can be reached via www.alexanderlyon.com
By Alexander Lyon, Ph.D.
New employees are seldom effective during our first month on the job. We’re too busy learning the often-confusing cultural expectations of our new workplace. Some organizations are quite explicit about what they expect. However, it’s the unspoken, assumed norms that cause us the most anxiety and decrease our effectiveness. Most of us want to fit in and would be willing to adjust if we just knew what was expected.
Surely, organizations should know their own norms well enough to communicate them clearly to new employees. Unfortunately, most don’t. At the same time, we must accept the responsibility to adapt to the culture. New employees should take initiative to learn about the following basic features of workplaces.
Expectations about Time
Time, as they say, is money. Thus, it’s important to notice how people treat time regarding the starting and endings of meetings, the length of presentations, the importance of deadlines, expectations about how long various tasks should take, etc. We should pay attention to when people arrive at and leave work. Official policies about time often clash with actual norms. Some organizations claim to have “flextime,” for instance, but that doesn’t mean people actually use it. We don’t want to be the only one showing up at 10:00 a.m. if people normally show up at 8:30 a.m. To make sure, we should observe actual behavior to learn about how people handle time.
Formality of Relationships
The way people relate to each other differs significantly across professional settings. Some workplaces are serious. Others are informal and social. Some organizations still use “Mr.” and “Mrs.” I once worked at an organization that preferred last names only, “Have you seen Jones?” Others use first names, even for the CEO. Still, we should not assume we’ll become Facebook buddies with their new boss or “fist bump” the president in the hall. We should adapt to the relational tone the veterans set and err on the side of formality when we’re not sure.
The Use of Technology
Workplace norms about technology are still emerging. If we get unduly “lost” in the technology, it can hurt our transition into a new job. We should look for clues to answer the following questions. When, if ever, is it okay to text around others? Should we walk around with our IPOD buds in our ears? Is talking on our cell phone or blue tooth earpiece around others a good idea? The answers depend upon the organization. However, one thing is clear. It’s almost always safer to use less technology in a new job until you learn the norms. Nobody will ever say, “Hey buddy, you’re not texting enough at meetings while I’m talking.” A good rule of thumb is that the people in the room should be given a higher priority than your technology.
What “Hard Work” Looks Like
“Hard work” looks different to each organization. It’s a tricky issue. Some organizations want to see you at your desk a lot. To them, that’s what working hard looks like. In contrast, other workplaces would prefer you to be out talking with clients, collaborating in a conference room, or doing hands on work somewhere. Some workplaces like it when you stay late and “burn the midnight oil.” The same organizations, however, may not necessarily give you any credit for coming in early. Other organizations do. We’d better learn what hard work looks like and get to it if we want to stick around. This is clearly an issue of perception but it matters.
Dress
The rules about how to dress have become very diverse. Suits and ties are still the norm in some organizations. Other places “hate ties,” as a friend recently told me. Did you know that some organizations expect you to donate money (e.g., $3 to a charity) to dress down on Fridays? “Dress Down Mondays” have also come into practice. Apparently, some companies are trying to make Mondays a little less painful. Also, the terms people use for attire can be very confusing. There’s “business formal,” “business,” “professional,” “business casual,” “casual,” etc. The labels themselves mean different things to different people. When we’re new, it’s best to just ask a few people directly what they normally wear and what you should wear. Of course, if we overdress, it is much easier to hang our jacket on the back of our chair than it is to find a spare jacket laying around.
Most new employees want to blend in and do well. When we are deliberate about learning the cultural expectations at a new job, we’ll become more comfortable and effective earlier. At the same time, companies that go the extra mile to help their new hires adjust will also save themselves time and money in the long run. Adjustments on both sides will go more smoothly the more explicit we make our assumed expectations.
Dr. Alexander Lyon is a professor and professional speaker and can be reached via www.alexanderlyon.com