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Flip-Flops and Microwaved Fish

Navigating the Dos and Don'ts of Workplace Culture (Second Edition)

Peter Yawitz

River Grove Books, 2022

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Comprehensive
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For Beginners

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Adjusting to a new job, learning the workplace culture, and trying to get along with new co-workers brings unique sets of challenges. You may ask yourself what to wear, who to befriend,or how to create good working relationships with your new colleagues. Luckily, helpful dad Peter Yawitz – despite his book's somewhat opaque title – offers a comprehensive go-to guide to proper workplace etiquette, including fitting into the culture, paying attention in boring meetings, and asking for a raise. Yawitz illuminates the unspoken rules of the office and draws on his years of experience to provide handy advice. His basic rules will help any newcomer master life in an unfamiliar workplace.

Summary

Get to know your co-workers.

A fresh start at a new workplace comes with challenges, such as learning the organization’s culture, figuring out how to blend in, and navigating new relationships with co-workers who are strangers to you. Take the time to learn about the people you are working with and the way they like to do things.

Typically, businesses prefer employees who are direct communicators, people who want to get right to the point and not waste time. Don’t take this abruptness personally. Instead, come to each conversation prepared with summarized, clear, and concise talking points.

Becoming accustomed to directness can take time, but you may find you prefer it over dealing with passive co-workers who have difficulty making decisions or giving clear directions. Their tenuous responses may require you to support or encourage their ideas, regardless of whether you concur.

Alternatively, you can opt to use a firm approach when you encounter passive-aggressive colleagues. These people avoid directness, though they often expect direct results. For example, they might say, “Get it done whenever...

About the Author

Peter Yawitz heads Clear Communication, hosts the podcast Advice from Someone Else’s Dad, and stages the annual “Broadway’s Got Guts” fundraiser for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America.

Flip-Flops and Microwaved Fish

Navigating the Dos and Don'ts of Workplace Culture (Second Edition)

Read, Listen, or Discuss

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Summary

Get to know your co-workers.

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