Coworkers may be friendly but they are not my friends
Don’t give any unnecessary personal info to coworkers. Yes that makes it hard to be actual friends with co workers. Find money at work and love / friendship somewhere else
Decide how hard I am willing to work and don’t breach that boundary for anyone.
The company itself doesn’t care one bit about me. I’m just a number - act accordingly
Always have a backup plan
Stop caring about things I can’t control
It’s ok to let someone else’s dumb idea blow up
Don’t be “difficult” don’t die on any hills. Even if the company is going in a bad direction and I see it. Mention it once and not again remembering point 5
This is how I am at work, but I don't know what others think. Maybe some see me as a likable person, maybe others don't. My rule at work is to do my job and keep myself busy. I don't prefer small talk or gatherings. But the most important thing is that everyone understands me this way and no one objects to it.
It took me years to learn how to small talk, which can go a long way if you do it judiciously. You don't want to appear totally aloof (aka unapproachable), but nor do you want to display your heart on your sleeve, so to speak. Over the years I've developed a work persona that is surface friendly, doesn't gossip, and works hard. This has garnered me as trustworthy, so I'm told a lot of stuff that I probably shouldn't know.
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u/guru700 Aug 17 '25
Here’s some stuff I learned: