New to the office environment?

New to the office environment?

After a focus on working from home for the last few years more and more organisations are returning to the office and we wanted to give you a quick run through of tips and tricks to succeed in an office environment:

1. Appearance – On your first week dress more formally than you think you might need to as this cultivates a positive first impression. From thereon, observe your colleague’s attire and follow the office dress code while maintaining your own personal style.

2. Organised workspace – Keep your workspace clean and tidy, including putting away cups and other items and equipment when not in use. No one likes the messy person in the office.

3. Phone use – Make sure you put your phone on silent and aren’t on your phone during work hours.

4. Punctuality matters – Be punctual by arriving on time for work and making up for any lateness (not that this should happen), including communicating with your managers if you’re sick or running late by making a phone call as soon as you realise you won’t be able to work/will be late.

5. Clarify expectations – Don’t hesitate to ask for a list of tasks with deadlines and request feedback on your work to ensure you are delivering to expectations.

6. Being disruptive – When working in the office, it’s natural to be drawn to conversations and distractions around you. However, it’s crucial to stay dedicated to your tasks and save socialising for designated breaks or after work hours as if you don’t deliver your responsibilities you’ll be letting the team down.

7. Unprofessional language – Ensure your language and behaviour remain professional in all work-related interactions and refrain from swearing/using offensive words or oversharing information about your personal life.

8. Effective Listening – Listen actively to your colleagues and how they speak to supporters/other teams internally. If you are being trained on how to complete tasks, make notes to avoid asking for help repeatedly. If you are given feedback, learn from this and don’t take it personally.

9. Time Management – Balancing tasks efficiently is crucial. Use tools like calendars, to-do lists and project management software to stay organised (Monday and Trello).