New job - Making friends with coworkers
So I recently got hired at McDonald's and am due to start working there about 8 days or so. I want to at least try and make friends with the coworkers, but generally I suck at trying to talk to new people. I have limited interests that most others don't usually care about, and more often than not I struggle to hold a basic conversation lasting more than 5-10 sentences
Any advice on what I should do and things I could talk about?
I think you should just go with the flow and let things happen on their own... The less you think about it, the more relaxed you'll be, and the easier talking will be.... Answer mine?
viewtopic.php?t=294153
Not going to suggest this since it's a bad, deadly habit, but the easiest way to make friends at work is to smoke.
The other, way less easy way, is to find one person who is relatively easy-going to talk to (this may just happen naturally?) and use that friend as your "in" to the rest of the group.
Lastly, don't let anyone drag you into the game of "bash your coworkers behind their backs"... it's something I've seen in every workplace and it's best to simply smile and try to change the subject.
Oh! And 5-10 sentences is a perfectly fine length for a work conversation.
nerdygirl
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The other, way less easy way, is to find one person who is relatively easy-going to talk to (this may just happen naturally?) and use that friend as your "in" to the rest of the group.
Lastly, don't let anyone drag you into the game of "bash your coworkers behind their backs"... it's something I've seen in every workplace and it's best to simply smile and try to change the subject.
Oh! And 5-10 sentences is a perfectly fine length for a work conversation.
Good advice (I, too, do not recommend smoking...)
In addition...
Spend your breaks in the break room.
Be willing to do favors.
Run and get stuff for people and generally be helpful.
Take an occasional shift for someone who needs a day off for something that came up after the schedule came out. Work hard and don't dilly-dally or act helpless as much as possible (once training is over.)
Don't complain about being asked to do the less-than-desirable jobs. Just do them.
These things will help you be seen as a generally nice person, which will make people more willing to talk to you. I worked at McDonald's when I was in high school. Though I did not have much in common with my co-workers, I did talk with them at work. We had good, friendly, working relationships although it never went beyond that.
Hopefully it won't happen in Maccy D's and restaurants, but I am already getting scary stories about work politics, disguised as "friendships". Making friends is good and all, but also be careful. I am naturally a paranoid person, so unfortunately, would like to keep work relationships (especially if the job is short term) very shallow. Plus I am not good at making friends in the first place.
But yeah, someone close to me had a friend. Started a company together. Worked together for 20 years. Yet, just a couple of years ago, tried a hostile take-over. Torn the company in half as a result.
Sometimes, your "best" friend can become the worst enemy, especially when profits, positions etc are at stake...
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