Snehal Pore has always been a committed employee in all the organisations he had worked. From his job in a manufacturing unit to the transition to IT industry, he had always kept to his work to ensure he was on top of all his tasks and assignments. When his manager quit to pursue another opportunity, everybody around him thought he would definitely take his manager's position in due time. You would think so too, right? But no. He was passed over for the promotion by his colleague Amol who was just about fine with work.
Wondering what got Amol promoted and not Snehal? Well, what really worked in Amol's favour was that he was liked by almost all his peers and seniors! And this quality of being affable and liked by others seems to be gaining favour everywhere -- even notching top slot in the typical list of desired qualities.
Joyita Sayal, a new-breed employee in a media firm, does not typically believe in the old thought of 'just-do-your-work-and-that-will-suffice.' She proffers, "Frankly, I personally do nothing to fit in. If it works, it works; else I'm better off doing my own work at peace."
However, not all of us are better off adopting this attitude. It is becoming increasingly important to get along well with co-workers and seniors. Sulking, irritable, rude, and argumentative employees are being given corrective feedback all the time so that they can at least 'fit in' enough to have a civil, working relationship with their colleagues.
Here are a few things to 'fit in' at work
~ Joining before you join: Yes, you can do this. As Nikhil Deshmukh, Sr. Consultant, Capgemini suggests, "Before joining a company go through their website. It helps to get a bird's eye view of the company culture, policies, people, and projects. One should also attend the induction which gives you a pretty clear picture of what you have got yourself into. You will get clarity on things like specific projects the company has, the technologies, company's roadmap for the future, the key people in-charge of the various verticals, HR and payroll policies etc. Not to mention the new introductions, which help you in your initial days in the company and who knows, you may even form lasting friendships right at the beginning!"
~ Adopting company culture: Do in Rome as the Romans do. Yes, the sooner you take to the corporate culture about dress code, working environment, sensitivity to hierarchy, office time, and code of conduct, the easier it is to fit in. "Adoption of company's corporate culture makes fitting into the organisation easy and smooth. I feel that if I had also adopted my company culture early on, it would have definitely made a bigger impact and helped me in gaining acceptability much more quickly," opines Sumeet Garg, Principal Architect at Mastek.
Even Shamit Mukherjee, Business Consultant, PricewaterhouseCoopers, believes the same. "If you get involved in causes close to the company, it helps you fit in almost immediately. You may choose to help people, get into company groups that focus on social causes like charity, CRY, old age homes etc or participate in intra-company activities."
~ Working late: There are differing views on this one. Joyita says "It is pointless if you have sensible bosses. Just make sure you do your work on time and do it well." However, Sumeet believes that it is more often a necessity than option. "Working late becomes essential if you want your team to deliver under tight deadlines. Under such circumstances, you have to be one of them to get the best out of them. But that does not mean that you encourage late working hours. It should be monitored so that the team members do not feel fatigued by too many late hours as this may affect their performance."
~ Taking smoke breaks: Some might deem this the most important, going by the number of smoke breaks people take! In fact, there are a few organisations where exclusive smoking cliques exist. If you can manage to be a part of one of these, lots can happen. Promotions, job recruitment, inside juice, everything happens in these short breaks. Just for kicks, even if you don't smoke, you might go hang out at smoking breaks to be seen in the 'right' circle. (Don't complain of passive smoking later on!)
~ Helping team mates and assuming responsibility: As Sumeet rightly mentions, "Understanding of the human side of peers and subordinates makes it easy to draw team support that is essential for a person's overall success within the organisation. It also makes you approachable and builds team confidence. Again a big plus to prevent attrition. This has surely helped reduce attrition in my team."
Nikhil also deems that "Being proactive in resolving issues within the team, with regards to work or even if it maybe anything personal will earn their respect which in turn will go a long way in ensuring that your life is smooth as well. This way, you are sure to be accepted much sooner."
~ Following your boss: And there are some who think that doing everything your new boss does helps you score brownie points early on! As Shamit points out, "There are people who imitate the boss (or her/his thinking process) when an opportunity to speak to the team comes up. In some complex cases, I have seen a whole group of people speak the way the boss does. So much so that after a while the language distinction between the subordinate and the boss blurs so much you can not make out who is speaking! It is always better to adopt a sensible approach in such instances rather than going overboard."
~ Acquiring similar tastes and habits/ Partying with colleagues: These should have nothing to do with work. It sure helps when it comes to bonding but that's about it. There are some around us who have worked towards developing similar habits, just to fit in with the right people. As Shamit explains, "Getting up in the morning, going to the same gym, being in the same social circle etc may help ease the bonding process."
You may gel all you want, but watch out
~ Don't get personal: That's the only line that needs to be drawn. As Sayal suggests, "You stay out of other people's personal lives. Even if you end up hearing about anybody, keep it in a locker box and throw away the key. Become great work friends (and that's it), always smile, keep the atmosphere cheerful, be visible, finish your work on time, be the smiling face of the people: no matter what you think of them."
~ Don't lose individuality: Shamit cautions that "People who try to be like others just to fit in randomly run the risk of losing their individuality sooner or later. Although 'yes masters' might do well in professional life and grow with their managers, they do so at the huge cost of their own individuality."
He sums it up effectively: "I really do not think one needs to go so far to succeed in life. Professional success can be achieved by hard work and dedication also. Even for a CEO, it is better not to have such subordinates, or the entire organisation would look like a power point presentation all the same slides one after another!"
So what do you say? Since diversity with the underlying common corporate culture is the in thing these days, go, fit in! Just be careful that it doesn't impact your sense of self and health.
Preeti Bose is Senior Manager -- Training for a US-based MNC. The views expressed in this article are personal and not of her organisation.
What do you think of this feature? What do you do to 'fit in' at work? Tell us.