The mail that passed you. The after-work beer that you don’t attend. Or the lunch break that you spend alone: It is often not easy in a new job. Because in addition to the new requirements or unfamiliar ways of working, it can also be the colleagues who make it difficult. How do you manage to get on well with your new job?
The important thing is: It’s not just up to you. Superiors can also contribute to a good start. But newcomers also have to do something right from the start to be accepted. “Don’t wait and watch yourself,” advises career coach Bernd Slaghuis from Cologne. “Instead, get actively involved right from the start and, for example, ask about tasks that you can take on.”
Consultant Anne Forster from Zurich also advises people to take the initiative. A tip, for example: Read the company’s intranet – this is how you find out what to do in the event of illness or how things are going with the vacation requests. Besides, you should note down all important information during the familiarization phase, advises Forster. You can also learn a lot from yourself: For example, how colleagues answer the phone or how they deal with customers.
A new job also means active contact search
But it’s not just about asking questions about work. Coach and psychotherapist Monika Stutzle-Hebel also advises asking over lunch or after-work beer whether you can join. “Of course you can also get a rebuff, but you should risk that to get in. ”
Whether it is difficult or easy to get in is also due to the history: If the position was newly created, the team was probably quite busy. “Then many hopes rest on the news, that it will bring relief,” explains Stützle-Hebel. In this case, it is important to speak openly about how much time you have for training.
On the other hand, they probably don’t have the problem of being compared with their predecessor. This is often the case when a popular colleague leaves or is “left”, as Stützle-Hebel explains. It could be that a team then literally mourns the predecessor. Newcomers shouldn’t take this personally or see it as a rebuff. This phase could take a few weeks.
Formulate your wishes in a friendly and open manner
Sometimes, however, all efforts do not help and one is not asked for lunch and is not in cc for important emails. There doesn’t always have to be bad intent behind this. The colleagues can simply forget to include the newcomer, as Slaghuis says. His advice: If you have the feeling that you are not arriving in the team, you should speak to your colleagues – without reproaching.
It is better to explain what you feel and how you feel about it. You should also say what you want instead. If that doesn’t work, newcomers have to better or worse call the boss – especially when it comes to things that prevent them from doing their job properly, as Slaghuis emphasizes.
For example, if the information is withheld or necessary cooperation is blocked. “But you should be fair enough and tell your colleagues that you are talking to the boss.”
