Disclaimer: In Real Life is a platform for everyday people to share their experiences and voices. All articles are personal stories and do not necessarily echo In Real Life’s sentiments.
With the strict restrictions of the pandemic being lowered, many of us are steadily going back to the office. For some of us, we started new jobs during the pandemic and are quite possibly going to be heading into our new office for the very first time.
When you get to your new office, there will be pre-existing groups and the question is always which of our new colleagues to make friends with. Here are the 6 people that you should find and get to know in your new office:
1. The happy hour coordinator
Find this one and make friends with them quickly! This is the office socialite who knows everyone at all levels of the company. They will also know where the best food and beverage deals are near your office and when they are happening.
Knowing the “happy hour coordinator” will help you get into the right office social networks – whether it’s the next official company barbecue or the unofficial Warhammer group or even the office book club.
Besides obviously being the best source of making new friends and meeting your colleagues, you’ll also get to know the right people in various departments at different levels. This helps you know who to talk to when you need a little help or guidance.
It’s also the first step to building your personal and professional network at your new office!
2. The Pantry Manager
I don’t mean the literal pantry manager. I mean the one has a literal pantry – and possibly a coffee maker – at his desk. I had a colleague who had a coffee maker, cream, sugar, cup Maggi, candies and sweets, cigars, and three brands of cigarettes at his table, and he doesn’t even smoke!
You want to be this guy’s friend because he’s the one who will have something available when you need a pick-me-up after a long meeting, a cigarette when you run out, or a coffee when pulling dreaded overtime.
The Pantry Manager is also an interesting source (if you’re interested) of office gossip. This is because everyone who stops by will always help pay for the snacks with a few minutes of chit-chat.
Just remember to return the favor to said pantry manager if he drops by your desk once in a while.
3. The person who knows everything
One exists in every office, but they don’t always go by this specific title. The “Knower Of All Things’” (KOAT) was her unofficial title at one of my previous workplaces. Slightly mystical? Perhaps. But did she know things? Yes. Valuable things.
Where I used to work, the KOAT was actually the CEO’s personal assistant. She’d been with the company for about 5 years and though she was just the Personal Assistant, her advice was invaluable for a great many things.
The KOAT will be the one who can provide important and relevant advice about almost anything going on, ranging from opportunities for personal and professional development to the unofficial dress code for the CFO’s annual Chinese New Year Open House.
Many companies these days will have several such KOATs, oftentimes specializing in different areas of operations, and/or administration. Find them and get to know them, then ask these wise oracles to impart their wisdom.
A small token from the Pantry Manager could ease the way forward because office gossip has probably revealed the KOATS preferred snack is!
4. The Generalist
There’s an unwritten rule that The Generalist is somehow affiliated with the KOAT. Don’t ask for the details: if you need to ask, you don’t need to know.
Who is The Generalist? The Generalist is a specialist in something but knows enough about what you do to be a source of help when you’re in a tight spot. This is the video editor who knows how to do basic graphic design mockups or the graphic designer that can do video storyboarding.
The KOAT is the one who sends The Generalist over to help you meet the 5PM deadline when you’re running behind schedule at 4PM. Don’t ask how the KOAT knew – just accept the help, and remember that The Generalist was there to back you up.
The Generalist will not hold their help over your head when they need a favor from you. Just remember that at some point in the future, there is a chance you will get a discreet suggestion from the KOAT to be The Generalist for someone else.
Return that favor!
5. The fixer wizard
Office legends state this individual was a piece of computer hardware in a past life. Their knowledge and skills mean they should be working in the IT department, but for whatever reason, they are not.
They can do things ranging from the mundane – getting that stupid Excel formula to work – to recovering that presentation that somehow got misplaced in the void of the company’s intranet.
On occasion, the fixer wizard will execute temporary repairs that coax hardware back to life, just long enough to get important things done.
It goes without saying that you should leave the real repair jobs to the IT department, but knowing this guy will make your day-to-day working life a whole lot easier.
Once, you were the lost new guy at work
Caption: shopee malaysia
Once upon a time, in a new office somewhere, you were the one, looking for office 702 (which is actually on the 8th floor) and perhaps wondering why NO ONE showed up for the Monday morning meeting.
Maybe now you are the office veteran, who might or might not hold one of the five titles outlined above, but helping out the new guy will boost your leadership and mentoring skills.
So help the new guy because they have no idea that the Monday morning meeting is actually held on Tuesdays by “tradition” – something the KOAT told you, once upon a time.
For more stories like this, read: The Malaysian Guide To Professionalism In The Workplace: 10 Tips To Help Your Career, 10 Signs That Your New Malaysian Workplace Is Toxic & That You Should Get Out IMMEDIATELY, and Malaysian Employers Think Raising The Minimum Wage Is A Bad Idea – Here’s Why They’re Wrong.
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