Questions tagged [socializing]
Questions about talking to co-workers about non-work related materials. This can be talking on breaks, going to lunch or activities outside of working hours.
116
questions
4
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2
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630
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Being seen as assertive in the workplace [closed]
I am a young woman of small build. I also give off the impression of being 'Ms Perfect' for the fact that I take care of my appearance and weight. I'm also ambitious.
I find I am constantly being '...
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11
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Company invites me to event after firing me [closed]
I worked for a development company 2 years ago. I was fired on my last day of probation, after 6 months. I wasn't really expecting it. I felt a bit bitter about it; The boss also behaved improperly ...
user14154
110
votes
17
answers
28k
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Is it reasonable for me to complain about an objectionable newspaper being ordered for the office?
Our office has had newspapers delivered for some years. I don't recall the staff were ever consulted on what newspapers they wanted, but staff read them during lunch or coffee breaks.
Recently the ...
- 3,537
7
votes
3
answers
2k
views
How to interact with a coworker I have to interact with regularly but who is very opinionated about everything
On a regular basis, I have to interact and coordinate with a coworker who is one of those highly opinionated people that has no filter. I find myself avoiding her as much as possible, to the point ...
- 1,031
91
votes
11
answers
18k
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Ramifications of not inviting a teammate I don't like to my personal function
I'm a female employee, and I have a baby shower coming up next week. I wish to invite my colleagues to the party. But there is one guy in my team I don't like, because he used to keep staring at me. ...
- 837
8
votes
3
answers
1k
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Everyone is talking about politics in the common lunches. Any better option than leaving?
I live in a place where there's quite a lot of convulsion in terms of independency of the country. My ideas don't really care, but in the office there are both sides, and the verbal fights are close ...
- 1,880
-4
votes
1
answer
819
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Is "all hands" TGIF meeting mandatory? [closed]
If the employer calls it an all-hands TGIF meeting, is it implying that the meeting is mandatory, or that everyone can attend, but doesn't have to?
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1
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521
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The CEO wants to kitesurf with me [closed]
The CEO wants to kitesurf with me during working time.
I have no trouble with that. But I'm trying to figure out the reasons behind this activity.
Why does a CEO wants to do something like that?
...
- 571
12
votes
2
answers
4k
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I want to avoid a 2-day social event organized by the company on working days
A company event is advertised with the words "attending is expected", which I assume means attending is obligatory. There doesn't seem to be anything work-related, but it seems to be a spirit building ...
- 400
1
vote
3
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809
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Discussing dreams with coworkers [closed]
A coworker and I are on pretty good terms. We've been working within talking distance from each other for a few years, usually on the same projects in a team. We sometimes, but not very often, discuss ...
- 2,790
72
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13
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Informal Chat in Concluding an Interview; is it appropriate to ask about a hobby/interest?
As a senior software developer (based in UK), I help my manager arrange and conduct interviews. My boss used to conduct the interviews himself, but realised that he needed someone more tech-savvy ...
user34587
12
votes
2
answers
2k
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Soft-skills... how and why?
Intro: I'm originally a physicist, and I love programming since my childhood (primarily C++). After finishing my PhD in physics, I did a post-doctoral fellowship in a university for 2 years, where in ...
- 2,741
2
votes
2
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355
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Tips on staying professional while dealing with major family illness?
Very suddenly my mother and aunt got the news they're terminally ill. My father is chronically ill, his brother just had a stroke and my sister in law is chronically ill as well.
I was dealing with ...
- 5,988
5
votes
3
answers
2k
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"Professionalism" After Work Hours and Separating the Two
I apologize if this is "off-topic", but based off my reading of this stack for a while (man, are there ever some interesting questions popping up around here), I believe I am within site scope. The ...
- 161
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Are there good reasons to NOT invite my boss to Thanksgiving dinner?
I have a pretty solid professional relationship with my boss. We also get along well personally and share some things in common that don't relate to work that we talk about. I have a suspicion, but am ...
- 295
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2
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437
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Meeting potential interviewer in social situation
My friend was offered an interview for a job at a company that his friend works for (his friend is one of the interviewers as well), but turned it down as he had just started a new job. He told his ...
- 159
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How to socialise when you are from a third world country?
I am from one of these countries that have a very bad reputation regarding human rights, women rights. (But differently not me)
I got a job in the Netherlands
I am in my 5th week
Employees try to ...
- 151
27
votes
7
answers
3k
views
How can I limit or avoid social faux pas when I have a disability that makes it hard
I have Asperger's syndrome which makes it difficult for me to navigate the social aspects of the workplace, and I understand that other conditions such as depression, anxiety, et cetera can also cause ...
- 159k
9
votes
4
answers
3k
views
How to deal with an employee who refuses to follow social etiquette
I have an employee who reports to me who refuses to behave within accepted social norms, when it comes to respect for their co-workers. The individual in question is blunt, rude, and aggressively ...
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12
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6
answers
2k
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Professionalism regarding sharing Steam account info
I've found myself in somewhat of an awkward situation, or at least it seems that way to me. Personally, I like to metaphorically wear two outfits: one for when I'm not at work and one when I'm doing ...
- 301
42
votes
3
answers
9k
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Arranging drinks with laid off coworkers in close-knit team
I work in a close-knit team of about 20 that just suffered layoffs. Some of the surviving employees and laid off employees are friends, and several survivors have suggested arranging drinks with the ...
- 393
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2
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4k
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How to deal with an office environment where everyone speaks a different language?
I'm working overseas and almost all of my colleagues speak another language (their native language). They talk to me in English regarding work-related stuff and everyone speaks English during meetings....
anon
0
votes
1
answer
719
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How can a young college graduate deal with large age gaps in the office? [closed]
I recently graduated from college and was able to get a job not too long after; I've been at work for 3 months so far at an underwriting firm as a in-house IT/Excel help desk who helps with odd jobs (...
user50003
29
votes
3
answers
4k
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How to handle awkward conversation with co-worker in gym changing room who is naked
I was at the gym (non work affiliated if it makes a difference) last week and ran into a co worker in the changing rooms. This would have been fine except she had just walked out of the shower ...
- 299
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votes
4
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4k
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How do I stop my co-workers from teasing me with another co-worker?
I have been working for more than 3 years now with my co-worker and people have been teasing us here and there and it doesn't make me happy, at all. Things have gone awkward to the point where I can't ...
- 43
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8
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10k
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How can I drop a polite hint to a coworker to stop pestering me with daily questions about my lunch?
I have a coworker who, without fail, asks me the same set of small talk lunch-related questions.
Every. Single. Day.
For example:
(As I'm heading out the door)
Him: Where you goin?!
Me (usually ...
- 3,823
-2
votes
2
answers
336
views
how can I cancel my Involvement in a company football competition in order to go to a industry talk/event [closed]
Tomorrow there is a company football team going to partake in the first part of an industry football competition. I only started this job recently so I put my name forward to be on the team just for ...
8
votes
4
answers
2k
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Invited for a New Year party, should I go? [closed]
I have been invited to a New Year party at a company where I have accepted a role, but as yet haven't joined.
My joining date is more than 10 days after New Year. I am very happy that they have ...
- 246
11
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6
answers
8k
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Is it acceptable to politely decline to speak about one's personal life?
I've seen this answer, where the person says that one might present oneself poorly if they hide their personal lives from their co-workers.
In-spite of that, I believe that revealing information ...
- 950
2
votes
1
answer
636
views
A colleague won't tell me her name preference?
I have a colleague, who has been called by 2 different names. Her middle name was not what I was used to, but recently another colleague referred to her by her middle name.
When I asked said collegue ...
- 7,261
28
votes
7
answers
7k
views
Adjusting to a team with conflicting socialisation preferences for a group dinner
I started a new job half a year ago. I am very satisfied, there's just one thing. The team is pretty outgoing and they like to go out for a dinner together once or twice a month. I don't mind that, ...
- 713
2
votes
2
answers
411
views
Deal with unsocial image [duplicate]
I have started my first job ever about 13 months ago in a web-dev company. I am an extremely shy person, at least when it comes to make the first approach, and I often over-think too much social ...
- 29
32
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4
answers
5k
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How do I distance myself from a clique that's constantly mocking my colleagues?
There is a small group of people in the office who have formed a clique of sorts. They go out to eat together, constantly talk to or IM each other, have inside jokes, all sorts of fun stuff. When I ...
- 864
5
votes
2
answers
684
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How to maintain social integration when your workload is substantially different than those around you
So, I was hired early this year. I got about 4-5 months of training on the product I'm QA'ing for, then I was moved out of manual QA into automation of tests in our application. At the moment, I'm ...
- 5,579
13
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3
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6k
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What's the most appropriate way to introduce my boss to friends and family?
There is an upcoming social event organized by my employer where friends and family will be invited.
The company is a fairly small company in the UK and I will inevitably need to introduce my family ...
- 149
10
votes
4
answers
6k
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Can my employer make me drink alcohol? [closed]
I work at a company with a rowdy atmosphere that includes pressure to drink alcohol. Multiple people at the company told me verbatim that I would even been judged negatively in terms of hiring ...
- 109
3
votes
2
answers
1k
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Socializing as a poor performer
I am relatively new to my organization. For many reasons, I am not performing very well. I am behind on my projects, and although I feel that in my few-month tenure, I have produced decent work under ...
- 153
12
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2
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1k
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What are some steps I can take to overcome social anxiety while working?
I recently started working in a midsize company as a software development intern. I really like the company and I really like the work.
The trouble I have is building relationships with people in ...
- 121
1
vote
1
answer
449
views
How to talk slower in a energetic way? [closed]
Last few weeks I've been going out talking to random people at different speech speeds. After the talk I asked them to be brutally honest with me -- and tell me what their first impression was of me.
...
- 131
2
votes
2
answers
5k
views
How do I explain to my boss I don't feel like part of the team outside of work?
So recently, I was sitting with a couple co-workers and my boss and one of my co-workers made a remark to my boss about being excited for a party (a brewery tour) that my boss had invited him too. My ...
- 937
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3
answers
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New team commonly goes for a drink on Friday lunchtime - could attending this event negatively effect me?
I have recently moved to a new team in my company and they often go out for a drink during lunch hour on a Friday. It's only a single drink, but I'm not sure what the rules are regarding this.
In ...
- 405
26
votes
4
answers
28k
views
What do you do/say to someone who has been off work because they lost someone close?
If you have a colleague or boss who is off work because a significant person (wife/husband/child/parent/grandparent) in their life died, what is the workplace norm for communication?
Should you ...
- 22.3k
0
votes
2
answers
219
views
Smalltalk with support when waiting for a system to restart
I've been on the line with support while a system is rebooting. The both of us had to wait for 10 minutes. I was wondering what appropriate smalltalk one could engage in while waiting?
We're both ...
- 1,400
3
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Tips on getting people not to talk about work during work lunches or gatherings
It is interesting to find that many social events that are organized by managers or teams for the purpose of getting employees to socialize outside of work hours (e.g. lunchtime or after work events) ...
- 1,266
16
votes
4
answers
4k
views
How should I handle colleagues with very different work ethic?
I prefer to work intensively for eight hours with complete focus, then leave relax in the evenings - work hard, play hard. My colleagues on the other hand, prefer to be in the office for 10-12 hours ...
- 3,897
0
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Can non contributors attend Pot Luck lunches [closed]
We are having a Pot Luck lunch with people bringing in food. I did not bring any food. But our office assistant has emailed everyone saying lunch will start promptly at Noon. What is the usual ...
- 127
18
votes
4
answers
27k
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Is not attending the company holiday party damaging to my job and/or my career?
Many companies I've worked for host company functions like a holiday party. I understand that these are suppose to serve as a bit of a morale booster and a thank you from the company to the employees. ...
- 199
12
votes
5
answers
19k
views
Responding to "Why are you the best person for this job" type questions
Note: In somewhat the same vein as this question.
I recently landed a new job, but I was asked during the interview "Why do you think you're the best person for the job?" and they mentioned that this ...
- 1,527
6
votes
2
answers
396
views
How to get across on LinkedIn that I absolutely enjoy, and am committed to, my company? [closed]
I work in a non-client-facing role and only occasionally interact with suppliers/vendors and consultants. Generally I feel that my professional network is very small and thus I want to get to know ...
- 77
4
votes
4
answers
4k
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How can I professionally refuse the publication of group photos on social networks?
In my scientific research group, my professor tries to create a very social atmosphere between each of our members. For example, the group goes on a yearly retreat or meets up in order to watch big "...
- 151