Is It Easy To Be A Beginner

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

Behind the interview, filling out questionnaires, personal files, someone has tests, business games and training. And here comes the first working day in a team of strangers: there is hardly a person who does not worry at the first meeting with his colleagues. In my article I would like to dwell on very important points of joining a new team, helping to avoid mistakes and, following them, negative consequences. An unpleasant “sediment” on both sides after the first meeting leads in the future to the omission or distortion of important information about each other, about the organization, to unjustified spending of time on adaptation and sometimes to a zero result.

For me, as a practicing psychologist who has been dealing with personnel problems in an organization for many years, the psychological comfort of an employee who comes to work is important. If a newcomer is not given attention and respect, is not understood as a professional, his self-esteem and trust in the employer decreases, which generates disappointment and irritation. This, in turn, can cause his negative reviews about the company, thus damage the organization's reputation in the labor market and reduce the pool of applicants when looking for the necessary specialists.

To begin with, we must accept, as an axiom, that everything in our communication with other people begins with the internal attitudes of each participant in the interaction. And we are all very different. We have different desires, tastes, interests and ideas, therefore in any relationship between people there are contradictions: what one person likes, another does not like, one wants it, and the other the opposite. Differences in views, opinions or desires are a natural part of any relationship and it is hardly realistic to expect full agreement on all issues with others. The only question is whether we will be able to constructively resolve the existing contradictions, or, on the contrary, will contribute to the fact that a small problem will gradually grow into a serious problem.

There are a number of points to remember when communicating with people, and first of all with colleagues:

- there are no "good" and "bad" people - there are those who share your personal values and attitudes, and those who are strikingly different from you;

- no need to expect unequivocal acceptance from colleagues: respect the right of another person sincerely does not love you, moreover, just like that, for no apparent reason;

- it is better not to make the final conclusion on the basis of the first day, even a week of communication in a new team, it is advisable to be based not only on your own opinion, but on several (at least two) reviews, and certainly after the first emotional impression has passed;

- it is desirable to involve someone else in the process of analyzing colleagues and their manner of communicating with them, for example, to discuss their impressions with family or close friends, in order to minimize subjectivity in assessments;

- there are no ideal people, so it is very important to prioritize the requirements for them and choose the best for close communication, i.e. the most suitable for you for the company and able to help with difficulties;

- for productive work in any enterprise, it is necessary to clearly and correctly understand the strategic and tactical tasks of the organization and to imagine what exactly you and your team are doing in order to achieve the set goals. With a misunderstanding of goals and priorities, there is a risk of moving in the wrong direction and being branded as a stupid specialist.

Another necessary point in preparation for meeting your new colleagues is a well-thought-out structure of interaction, which makes it possible to stick to the topic of interest to you and, as a result, get reliable ideas about your work and organization. When one of the stages is skipped, errors begin and the reliability of the information received decreases. So what should you focus on?

The process of getting used to a new place of work can be divided into four phases, which form a kind of thematic groups, with the help of which we obtain the necessary information in order to accelerate the effectiveness of our work:

I. Acquaintance with general information about the company.

1. History of the company.

2. The mission of the company.

3. Objectives and strategies.

4. Basic organizational and economic parameters: characteristics of activities, market position, ownership structure, main clients, partners, contractors, organization structure and relations with branches.

II. Studying the internal regulations of the company

1. Principles of remuneration: tariffication (tariff grid, official salaries), bonuses, principles of increasing-decreasing wages, compensation of expenses incurred.

2. Organization of working hours: hours of work, breaks, days off, the admissibility of overtime work, holidays.

3. Material motivation: remuneration, principles of additional remuneration; bonuses - principles of formation; other forms of incentives (surcharge for mobile communications, vouchers, etc.).

4. Intangible motivation: personnel development program (training, promotion system); effective assessment of labor.

5. Social security of employees: medical insurance; pension system; civil insurance; the presence of a trade union or professional organization; legal consultation.

6. Control system.

III. Acquaintance with job responsibilities, awareness of their expectations related to work in the proposed position

1. Determine the weight of your job position in the organizational structure.

2. Get acquainted with the tasks that need to be solved and the range of responsibilities.

3. Find out if there are instructions on how to accomplish the tasks ahead.

4. Predict possible difficulties in the implementation of upcoming tasks and think over ways to prevent them.

5. Adapt your workplace for yourself.

IV. Meeting colleagues

1. Find out what is the nature of the interaction between the employees of the department

2. Determine whether it is permissible, and, if yes, how the cooperation with employees of other departments / services takes place.

3. Organize your contacts with new colleagues.

4. Clarify the roles and scope of tasks performed by other employees.

5. Find colleagues who are able or called to help the new employee get into the course and master their work.

The first three phases, as a rule, help the newcomer to master the human resources specialist and the immediate supervisor. In large companies, for example, they teach a whole course about the history of the enterprise and how to behave at work, taking into account the long-term heritage. All this is necessary to know if only because understanding the main strategy of the enterprise helps to think in the same way, and the proposed proposal in the spirit of the founding father will be in demand by the management to a greater extent than just a great idea. The mission of the company must be remembered and believed in it always and unconditionally. It helps you align your actions with your corporate values and culture.

Corporate culture is everywhere, even if employees are unaware of it. But "it is customary in our country" or "it is not accepted in our country", which refer to the traditions of dining, celebrating common holidays and organizing your workplace - all these are the norms of corporate culture. You can, of course, to stand out to act on your own and thus take the first step towards being known as an outsider. Leisure is also an important part of the corporate culture. Therefore, it is not recommended to skip corporate parties. Be that as it may, but everyone who attends such events has more chances to become "in sight" of the authorities and demonstrate their sociality to the largest possible number of their colleagues.

Meeting colleagues is also an important part of a new job. Often, when starting a new job, a specialist tries to fulfill his job duties better and faster, and the structure of his relationships with colleagues is relegated to the background. And in the end it turns out that ignorance of some unwritten rules, procedures and subtleties of communication has a destructive effect, both on a career within the company and on the well-being of an employee in a team. And it is extremely difficult to change the first impression of yourself in the future. That is why it is important to form comfortable communication with colleagues in the early days.

The main mechanism of pleasant relationships with other people is benevolence. New co-workers should see the newcomer happily joining their team. However, it is best to avoid getting too close to anyone in the early days. By and large, why would one of your new colleagues rush to give you coffee or give detailed characteristics to the rest of the department employees? Of course, it is normal when someone helps another, but help is justified in relation to established colleagues, and not the first ones they meet. You should not push away volunteers, but you should not flatter yourself and enter into a trusting relationship right away. You should only thank those who really helped you for their help, but even then you shouldn't be fawning and over-praising. Indefatigable gratitude in huge quantities can annoy and even infuriate, if not the one whom you are grateful to, then those around you - always. Everything requires a "golden mean". In addition, you need to limit your communication with those who like to gossip and tell unpleasant things about the company and its employees. Participation in such conversations has not yet helped anyone in their careers, and it is hardly ethical in relation to the rest.

From the very first days, you need to accustom yourself to punctuality. It is prudent to arrive at the office ten minutes early and go home ten minutes later than the official time. Of course, if it is customary in the organization to stay for a longer time, then it is better to discuss the time of your departure with the manager.

To relieve anxiety, it is advisable to create a pleasant atmosphere in your workplace: bring your favorite photo, a glass, a fountain pen - such little amenities help you to relax and feel more comfortable in an unfamiliar environment.

Last but not least, becoming a rookie means getting the chance to play a mysterious adventure game that will open up new possibilities, unlock hidden abilities, and improve existing skills. And even if the first time everything comes out not quite perfect, the main thing is to do your job with high quality, be natural and friendly with colleagues, respectful with the management, and then everything will be fine. Fear of defeat does not deter you from playing, but it helps you avoid mistakes!