Performing well and delivering on expectations of your work is one thing, but if you don’t have the workplace relationships to back it up, there’s only so far you’ll be able to get in any career.
We spend so much of our time in work, that having friends in the office can make your Monday to Friday much more enjoyable. In fact, people with a best friend at work are 7 times more engaged in their job.
When starting a new job, there are certain relationships you should try to solidify early on to ensure you get off to the best start.
A Tech expert
When you’ve accidentally deleted an urgent report, or your laptop won’t co-operate before an important presentation, having someone you can rely on in IT is a life saver.
The IT team tend to be overloaded with requests (demands) so taking the time to get to know the IT team and being helpful in return, can be the difference between your IT request getting answered over someone else’s.
A HR confidant
The HR department understands the culture and nuances of a company better than anyone else. You’ll probably already know someone in HR from the interview process, so take the time to solidify this relationship. A good friend in HR will help you with understand any company policies and procedures and be a handy go to if you have any general queries.
Sports & Social enthusiast
If you want to make new friends in the workplace, the Sports and Social Committee is the best place to start. Being a Sports and Social member will guarantee your invite to any after-work events and broaden your friend possibilities beyond your own department. Not only will this help you build relationships in a way that work interactions can’t, but you’ll have some fun too.
The person who knows everyone’s name
There’s nothing worse than meeting a colleague in the kitchen who you’ve been introduced to and who knows your name, but theirs has completely escaped you.
Generally, there’s someone who makes it their mission to remember everyone’s name (in our office that person happens to be me), so befriend them and never risk being stumped for a name again.
The receptionist
The receptionist is one of the most well-known people in any business and someone you certainly want to make a good impression on. They know the who’s who of the office, the latest news and will be able to help you out when you’ve lost a key or need a room for a meeting.
Introduce yourself, find out their name and make sure it’s one of the ones you remember.
An internal mentor
As the emphasis on continuous learning grows many companies have introduced internal Mentorship programmes. A mentor programme typically matches up newcomers (or existing employees) with established leaders in the business.
This is a great way to gain an insight into what it takes to succeed in a business like yours. As mentors are generally someone quite far removed from your day to day, you can also get more objective advice and feedback.
The office character
There’s always someone in the office who has been around so long, that they are pretty much part of the furniture. In our office, it’s our cleaner Rita who is the centre of the Cpl family. Getting on good terms with this person is a sure-fire way to get in with the top influencers in your company!
Someone in accounts
A time will inevitably come when you have an issue with your payslip or an invoice you promised was paid hasn’t gone through. This is when your connection in payroll will save the day. Like the IT team, the people who ensure you get paid are inundated with emails so making an extra effort to get to know someone in payroll will prove invaluable.
A sidekick on your team
Finally, having someone on your own team who can show you the ropes, is essential for settling in during the first few weeks. You don’t have to be best friends with your own team but if you can find someone you click with, it really can make the day to day. I’m lucky to have a work best friend who sits right beside me and undeniably makes my work day more fun.
Spending the time to make connections with the above office personalities will make the settling in period a lot smoother.