How to join a new team at work

A new job means increased stress for a person. The employee is trying to join the new team, to become an equal part of it. When you can't make friends with your coworkers, it's difficult to concentrate or be productive.

In a new job, it is important to integrate organically into the team

Simple rules of good manners and a positive attitude will help you enter a new team - those around you are drawn to a person who always has a smile on his face. An important rule for adaptation is fulfilling your duties and assigned tasks.

New team and new stress

It is difficult to integrate into a new environment for many reasons: high expectations, fear of the unknown, fear of change and great responsibility. Individually or in combination, these factors make a person nervous before his first day on the job. The transition to a new environment is difficult for shy and suspicious individuals. Colleagues for them are real aggressors, a threat and even an obstacle.

In any case, you need to behave in a team at work in accordance with business etiquette: personal hostility fades into the background. Co-workers deserve respect and tolerance, otherwise conflicts within the team end in dismissal or a severe reprimand. Quickly integrating into the work environment is a special quality that not everyone possesses. This is a skill that consists of several factors: the ability to adapt, adapt to the surrounding atmosphere and win over strangers.

Causes of conflicts in a new team

Good relationships in a team require reasons, but conflicts in cramped circumstances, when the mood of colleagues affects the personal perception of what is happening, can arise out of the blue. Every individual, especially those who want to lead and succeed at work, strives to suppress competitors. Cause of conflicts:

personal animosity;
unresolved work problems;
different characters and temperaments in the team;
unhealthy competition.

Problems in a team become more complicated when one of the participants in the conflict is a newcomer. A close-knit group of people takes up arms against a new employee.

Hostility can end in the defeat of an employee who has not found support, so building the right relationships with colleagues is the primary task of every newcomer, because his career growth and professional development depend on these people.

Causes of conflicts in a team

Stages of development of a specialist in a new team

Adaptation to a new group takes place in four stages:

Orientation. At this stage, the new employee actively masters professional responsibilities, team requirements, norms and rules of life in the group. He gets acquainted with working conditions, routine and work schedule. The goal of this stage is to learn as much as possible about the organization and its activities. Understanding all the intricacies of the job will give the employee self-confidence and a sense of security. At the same stage, the new employee studies informal relationships in the group. In this, as in the case of mastering job responsibilities, observation will help - study the behavior of the old-timers of the team.
Device. Stop watching - it's time to act. Put into practice what you have learned from your colleagues. This applies to both formal and informal relationships. Try to remember the names of your colleagues and address them by name and with a smile.
Assimilation. The stage of full assimilation of the norms and rules of the organization, formal and informal relationships in the group, work responsibilities, etc.
Identification. This is the stage of maximum closeness to work. The goals of the team coincide with the goals of the employee, common needs correspond to individual interests. All contradictions, problems and difficulties disappear, and a stable work process starts.

Note! Adaptation to a new team is an inevitable stage of employment. Sometimes it seems that nothing will work out, that a person will not cope, that things will not get better. This is wrong. If you follow the recommendations of psychologists, take care of your health, and know the features of the adaptation process, then everything will be fine.

Adaptation period

It’s difficult to immediately join the team at a new job: at first, the employee takes a closer look, evaluates the habits of individual people, studies their beliefs and outlook on life. Outside the workspace, new employees can become friends or loyal comrades, so you shouldn’t rush to make friends with everyone either.

Adaptation in the work team should take place gradually. The reputation of a new employee, as well as the first impression of him, are formed only once. Personal qualities are fundamental in the image in which the newcomer will be. He may present himself as a reliable partner, or appear to be a compliant colleague who will not bring any benefit. Communication skills will help you become part of a team. If the team accepts a newcomer, then over time he will be able to declare himself as a professional and competent partner.

Success Methods

Let's look at what a boss can do.

Mentoring. A newcomer is introduced to an experienced employee who acts as a mentor and helps him adapt.
Newcomer's party. During a corporate event, he is introduced to the intricacies of work.
Creation of corporate PR. The company creates a reference book in which a beginner can find all the answers.
Briefing. The employee is introduced to the company and its requirements. This happens with the participation of colleagues who answer questions.
An email to which the new employee receives all the instructions to facilitate speedy adaptation.

Let's look at how to speed up your adaptation.

It is important to find external and internal peace. If a person is balanced, he will create a better impression of himself, will not be confused at the very beginning of the work process, and will be able to activate the forces necessary for his activities.
There is no need to harbor illusions, to hope that the new work will be without mistakes and everything will work out with ease. Also, don’t expect that all employees will immediately like you.
In a team you need to behave confidently, in a business-like manner, while remaining a friendly person. Smile more often, people should see that you are in the right place. It is advisable to try to remember the names of new colleagues as quickly as possible.
Observe the team from the outside. Even if you have some information about the organization, it is better to see with your own eyes what is happening inside. This way, during informal communication, you can identify facts that might have been kept silent or embellished.
Don't be afraid to ask. Understand that new knowledge will add strength to you. In addition, this will facilitate rapid adaptation. During the first working days, an employee may be given a lot of important information, so it is better to record it somehow, for example, by writing it down.
It is important to perform your duties efficiently. Pull yourself together, be patient, demonstrate your business activity. Remember that the way a newcomer does his job can be used to evaluate him in the team.
There is no need to get personal; do not rush to find friends among new colleagues. There is no need to give out all the information about yourself to everyone. It is possible that in this team there will be warring parties who will try to pull you over to them.
It is unacceptable to be delayed or late. Try to be punctual. But you shouldn't stay after work if you don't have to.

How to behave with new colleagues

To join a new team at work, you need to adhere to a simple rule - get to know new people without compromising yourself. Trying to make friends with everyone is just as dangerous as immediately isolating yourself from your new surroundings. Only those who know how to communicate, know how to listen, but do not make meaningless concessions have good prospects. How to behave with new colleagues:

reserved but friendly;
without sudden mood swings;
unobtrusively.

If a newbie is asked for help, he should respond in a friendly manner and help with everything he knows about. It is necessary to establish yourself as a balanced and responsive person. You should not ask to be an assistant or cajole management - such actions will turn the team against the newcomer.

You can’t invite new colleagues to visit from the first days of work; it’s better to bring homemade treats to the office if culinary talents are among the newcomer’s strengths.

It is important to win over not only the management employees of the company or organization, but also the workers on duty - their help will be irreplaceable and useful.

You shouldn’t talk a lot about yourself: excessive frankness creates a false impression of a person who cannot keep secrets. From the very first days, there is no need to impose your opinion or violate the personal boundaries of colleagues - start disputes about religion, politics or the organization of work in the company. Neutrality is the best weapon for quick adaptation in the workplace.

Positive emotions and general attitude

The simplest move will help to attract other employees - positive emotions. Ease, which cannot be replaced by anything, will allow you to win over the employees of one company. Positive emotions must be sincere: joy for the achievements of a colleague, congratulations to the employee on his birthday or significant day. Finding a reason for a positive message is not difficult.

The emotions that a newcomer can afford should not be excessive - imbalance will work against the new employee. It is necessary to keep this promise and not become hysterical, even if problems arise at work. The first days in a new place are indicative. They demonstrate how reliable and stress-resistant the newcomer is. You shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help, but you shouldn’t be impudent either - the request should always be polite and strictly to the point.

Friendliness and flexibility

The mistake many newbies make is being too friendly. In an attempt to please his colleagues, the new employee adapts to the new environment and acts contrary to his principles and desires. If the job is promising, you won’t be able to pretend to be another person for long.

Friendliness towards a new team lies in helping and listening. By listening to experienced colleagues, a newcomer gains invaluable experience.

It is unacceptable to impose friendship on management immediately after starting a job - insubordination creates tension in the team. Flexibility is shown only in matters where the newcomer is incompetent. If he is confident in the decision made, he should defend his point of view - his reputation depends on it.

Compliance with established rules

Each organization has its own rules: conventional or official. Positions and hierarchy are rules that should not be broken. If the office has a certain dress code, it is wrong to show individuality in your clothing style. It is possible to rebel against rules that a newcomer does not like only after a period of adaptation, when they begin to listen to him.

At first, you should not introduce your own rules or impose new traditions - the collective is an already established social unit that will protect its own borders. There must be an explanation for any behavior of a newcomer: waywardness and self-will are unacceptable. There is no need to break away from the team. You should avoid gossip and criticism of colleagues - discussing your bosses or co-workers will not end well.

Rules of behavior in a team

Professional adaptation

Rule one - evaluate the employee’s competence

Even if the new employee is a professional, of which there are few, he does not know the intricacies of your specific activity. In the first days of work, choose a time and communicate in detail. Explain the essence of the tasks and ask whether the person understands everything about his work. Don’t ask directly - often an employee, not wanting to lose face, says that he understands everything, but in fact he is simply afraid that he will be considered incompetent. Use workarounds. Formulate your questions something like this:

Which of the tasks we deal with cause you the most (least) difficulty?
What do we do here that you haven't had to do before?
what would you like to learn?

And so on. Based on the answers, it will become clear where the new employee has gaps in skills and abilities.

Talk separately with the team members with whom the newcomer works . But also not right away, but after some time, when the rest of the workers have already taken a closer look at him.

If you have assigned a new employee to an experienced specialist, ask him. And then draw conclusions: what work to entrust to a newcomer, and what work is too early, where to send him to study, and so on.

Rule two - always answer the new employee’s questions regarding his professional responsibilities

Let's repeat: most employees are afraid of appearing incompetent. Therefore, they are reluctant to ask questions, especially to the manager, and stew in their own juice. Time passes, answers to the questions have not been found and it is no longer convenient to ask. There is a risk that they may answer: “You’ve been working for six months already, but you don’t know basic things!” Wow!"

Therefore, immediately make it clear that the new employee can always ask his question and get an answer . You can say it like this: “You just got settled and we understand that you have questions. Now you can ask everything - it will be appropriate. In a year it will be embarrassing to ask anything.”

If you can’t answer it yourself, ask other workers to figure out the problem .

Rule three - be lenient at first

At first, beginners will make mistakes. And asking them the same as experienced employees is fundamentally wrong. If a newcomer makes a mistake, don’t deprive him of his bonus or punish him, but together figure out the situation: why it happened and how to make sure it doesn’t happen again in the future.

Let a person have some period when he is allowed to make minor mistakes. Which, of course, were allowed unintentionally. Depending on the specifics of the work, this period can be up to one year . It is clear that a loader or janitor must work from day one, like everyone else. But a programmer, and even only after university, will need much more time.

Rule four - train all new employees

Regardless of the type of your activity - be it online trading, a manufacturing plant or a beauty salon, you must constantly train your employees. Ideally, in training centers. Or send them to seminars, conferences and lectures. And all newcomers should be first on the list for training. It often happens that the employer sends the same people to study. This is fundamentally wrong. A division appears in the team. Moreover, everyone is dissatisfied - both those who are always studying (“Why me again?!”) and those who are not sent to improve. And this is bad for work: in the team there is one pumped-up specialist and everyone else.

If you can’t organize training on the side, you can do it yourself. Prepare the material, print out the visual aids and pictures and go ahead. There is another common practice. First, one worker is sent to study. He goes to courses and then teaches everyone else. This saves both time and money.

Rule five - ask how the employee is doing in the new place

Show interest in his successes and sort through mistakes together. A person should feel that he was not abandoned to the mercy of fate in the new team. A week after starting work, invite him to your place and sort out these few days. What you like, what you don’t like so much, what questions cause the most difficulties.

You shouldn’t limit yourself to the on-duty “Well, how are you? Are you getting used to it? OK". Go through everything in detail, but don't overdo it. Otherwise, you can end up with a completely dependent employee who will then run to you with every piece of paper. Employees very quickly get used to the fact that the boss solves all problems himself and begin to abuse this. Remember the article about delegation of authority? Pere

Recommendations from a psychologist

Human adaptation is a normal process that occurs in personal or professional life. Psychologists say “the experience of others as a beginner will help you” and recommend:

Don't complain to management.
You cannot be offended by the jokes of your colleagues, even if they offend and cause aggression.
You cannot get involved in discussions of other people's personal affairs.
There is no need to provoke conflicts.
At first, it is better to avoid flirting in the workplace.
You should not use foul language or use foul language.

Simple advice from psychologists will help you avoid difficult situations. If complex and controversial issues arise in the first days in a new place, you can ask for help and find out the opinions of people with experience in such matters. Don’t be afraid to seem stupid or inexperienced – a professional is one who admits his mistakes and learns from them.

In a new team, it is important to find your place, and not take someone else’s - imitation and excessive compliance will only do harm.

The more communication, the easier it is to understand and make friends with new people. Over time, co-workers will get used to the new member of the team and begin to get closer. Patience and calm are the best strategy for a newbie who is committed to long-term growth in the company.

How do you know that you have successfully completed your professional adaptation?

How do you know that you have settled into a new team? An adapted employee feels his value as a professional and his belonging, belonging to something big and common. In turn, the team realizes and recognizes the employee’s value and respects his contribution. At the same time, the work itself satisfies the employee and corresponds to his worldview and interests. He sees his development, the future within this organization, the sphere of work.

What else indicates successful completion of adaptation? The employee understands, accepts and shares the corporate culture of the company. He developed a consistently good relationship with the group. The job meets the employee's requirements, and the employee meets the job requirements at three levels: the work itself, business relationships (formal), interpersonal relationships (informal).

Further acquaintance with the team: establishing contact

So, the first day of work is over, but this is no reason to relax. In order not to cross boundaries and become one of your own, adapting to a team and mastering a new job requires following several key rules. Psychologically adjusting yourself to a new environment is the most serious task. Find all the advantages of the new workplace, find the good sides in each employee. Summarize the results of the first working day, perhaps you were able to find out the interests and temperament of some colleagues. Based on this data, you can create a strategy for further development of relationships with them.

When considering how to join a team at a new job, there are several rules you need to follow.

Develop a personal approach to all colleagues, starting to get to know the most sociable of them. You should definitely remember the names of all team members the first time.
Prepare answers to questions about your previous job, because your new colleagues will probably want to know the reason for leaving. Don't speak negatively about your past boss or co-workers.
Showing a sincere interest in the affairs of the company (in no case in the personal affairs of employees) should be your trump card. Don't be intrusive, and at the same time, don't remain silent in the corner.
A smile when meeting colleagues is a powerful tool. Do not get into conflicts for at least the first few days after you meet. Keep your opinion to yourself, even if it is “the only correct one.”
Working in a new team involves not only establishing personal relationships, but also professional ones. To avoid being branded as a “weak link”, show composure, accuracy and punctuality.
When solving the first joint task, there is no need to show your advantages over your employees; no one likes “upstarts”. If you are clearly superior to your new colleagues, you should try to help them, and not start bragging.
Participation in the active life of the company, in addition to the main activity, is another way to make yourself known well. Even if you have an innate dislike for noisy parties, this does not mean that you need to sit at home while others have fun.
Proper organization of the workplace. Keep your workplace clean, because at first it will be your business card. The “corner” in which you work should represent responsibility, order, and composure. There is no need to chase individuality and turn the table into an arboretum or an area for storing family photos and heirlooms.
Adapting to a team and mastering a new job requires maintaining equal relationships with all colleagues. Don’t try to look for your best friend from the first day, don’t pay attention to the personal negative qualities of employees. Over time, you will be able to become close to a specific person over common interests without jeopardizing your reputation.
Strive to understand the work process: at first, you may not be competent enough in your professional activities. Find a colleague who will be happy to help you get started and give you some professional advice. As practice shows, there is such a person in every team.
It's worth finding out what management and colleagues expect from you, and then trying to live up to those expectations. If something is unclear, you should not complain to your superiors, otherwise they will take you for a “six” and reduce contacts to a minimum.
If you feel that you have more work experience, unlike your colleagues, this is not a reason to criticize them (what to do if you have no work experience). Even if you think you have good intentions, the advice may be inappropriate. While no one has approached you, you should not impose moral teachings.
Gossip, squabbles and intrigues - all this, of course, is interesting, but in the first stages of work it is worth remaining on the sidelines, not taking any part in heated discussions. After all, you cannot know for sure who is right and who is wrong.
Lunch Break: If you want to earn the respect and trust of your colleagues, the best time to make a good statement is at the lunch table. At this time, you will be able to find people with similar values and form your own pleasant social circle.

The main rule that you need to learn when searching for an answer to the question “how to join a new team at work” is conscientious and responsible performance of official duties. If you do not meet deadlines and cannot complete a task in a timely manner, try to warn about this in advance and name the reasons why the difficulties arose. Be honest with yourself and your colleagues, and after a couple of weeks of working together you will find a common language and become your own person!

Adaptation to a new team - advice from a psychologist

General recommendations for adaptation to a new workforce:

Don't try to please everyone;
take a closer look at your colleagues (some will be close in spirit, some will become a neutral character, and some may not like you or you - this is normal);
maintain a friendly-neutral attitude;
do not try to become the life of the party;
do not give up your system of values, beliefs and views (even “for appearances”);
develop psychological flexibility and a sense of humor, study conflict management (you must be prepared for the fact that the team will be wary of you - conflicts may arise);
arrange your workplace to suit you, but within the framework of the organization’s concept.

What should you do if colleagues or management lash out at you, criticize you, scold you? Calmly thank for the comment, take into account everything said and correct the mistake. And also politely remind that you are undergoing adaptation. You will need time to figure everything out, and the help of more experienced and wise workers. If conflicts arise, resolve them immediately and do not hush them up.

When adapting to a team, it is important to demonstrate your independence, integrity, and uniqueness. If you don’t smoke, then you don’t need to go to the smoking room with everyone “for company.” There is no need to say that you love football and try to discuss it during breaks between work if this is not the case. Be yourself, but be respectful of other people.

Adaptation to a new team is stressful both for the new employee and for the team. The team is a system. It, like any other system, strives for stability, so it perceives everything new as danger. You need to be prepared for difficulties and checks from the group. But this does not mean that you should attack first - be tactful and restrained.

First day at a new job: how not to “eat the dog”

When the search for vacancies is already over, sooner or later the first day at a new workplace arrives. Your future life in the chosen company depends on how it goes. You shouldn’t take the phrase “make friends with everyone” too literally and start gossiping and discussing the personal affairs of other colleagues from the first minutes of meeting you. It is enough to create a pleasant impression of yourself as a good person.

So, what can you do to ensure that your work in a new team goes well from the first day? It’s worth using a few “commandments” for a newly hired employee.

To come on time. Even if management is tolerant of lateness, this does not mean that you can ignore instructions from the first day. It will be better if you show up at the office not exactly at the specified time, but 5-10 minutes earlier. This will allow you to explore the situation, take a breath and get to work with ease.
Pay attention to appearance. It should not be provocative (unacceptable for women is a deep neckline, a large slit on a skirt or dress, an abundance of jewelry, “war” paint, for men - a wrinkled shirt, unkempt hair, a “rumpled” general appearance).
A positive attitude is the key to your success. It is important to remain friendly and in a good mood. If the manager did not have time to introduce you to the team, there should be no obstacles to solving this problem on your own.
Monitoring the style and tone of communication. To do this, you will need to be attentive, looking at the communication between colleagues, the topics they discuss, their clothing style, and relationships with their superiors. This approach will be your secret key to a happy professional life.

For the first day, these are probably all the requirements that need to be taken into account. After all, at this time one gets acquainted with the new microclimate, the structure of the company, and a generalized idea is formed. The main thing that is required on this day is the ability to remain calm and self-confident.