10+ Office Secrets No Boss Will Tell You About

You might think that your boss and HR keep you up with all the workplace rules when you join a company. However, there is more to what meets the eye. Apart from monitoring your performance, there is a lot going on behind the screens. For instance, sometimes the HR may not be able to help you in certain situations or your employer may have a favorite even if they admit they don’t. We’ve got it all covered for you below.

1. You have to think of solutions before mentioning a problem.

Your company hired you because they need you to do your job and reach their goals. They also need you to find solutions to whatever problems arise. So, if it’s on you to go to your boss and deliver the bad news, the least you can do is come up with a few possible solutions. You don’t need to go into detail about the problem itself, since your boss is only interested in solving it.

Even if your suggestions aren’t what your boss needs, at least you won’t have gone in unprepared. But, your proposal might be just what the company needs. You could be saving them from a very sticky situation and, in that case, you become their bright star.

2. Your manager isn’t responsible for firing you.

In big companies, there are multiple managers responsible for various sectors of the business. They are responsible for their team and how they perform, but they don’t have the power to terminate anyone. If you are caught doing something bad, yes, you will be called out. However, you will most likely be put into a performance improvement plan before you are laid off.

And even if you are fired, it won’t be your manager’s sole decision. They will have to speak to their boss and explain the situation before they make the announcement to you. However, if you work in a start-up where the CEO is your boss, the firing process will be much faster.

3. Be 100% honest about your mistakes.

We all make mistakes and you are no exception to that. The best thing you can do is go to your manager or your boss and confess to your error. Sometimes bosses notice our mistakes before we do and they wait to see if we will ever reveal them. If that is the case, then your employer will definitely appreciate your honesty despite your mistake.

Also, by being honest you build a trustworthy profile and it will be much easier for you to bring customers in. Despite that, lying brings even more lies since you will always be trying to cover your tracks. With honesty you learn that no matter the mistake, you can tackle it with the help of your co-workers and your boss.

4. Your boss has favorites despite what they say.

Your boss might be trying to stay absolutely neutral, but they do have favorites. And sometimes they make it very clear who their favorite employees are. If you are not on that list, you don’t need to beat yourself up and you should just move on. Your position isn’t necessarily in danger just because your boss isn’t in love with you.

So even though they might just have better chemistry with some other employees, try not to focus on that too much.

5. Don’t rush to accept a promotion.

A pay rise or a promotion usually comes with extra responsibilities that you may not be ready to take on yourself. You need to think about whether the time is right or if you have the right skills for the new duties. You also might not be a huge fan of your team and therefore be actively looking for another job. Or you’re just not interested in climbing up the ladder because you enjoy your current position more than anything.

If you indeed decide to turn the promotion down, be honest with your employer about the reasons why. Explain why you feel you’re not ready to make this jump and what skills you need to polish a bit more. Make sure to share your strong commitment to the company so your employer knows how passionate you are. You don’t want them to suspect that you are thinking about leaving the company.

6. HR won’t support you over the business.

HR is the department you will go to if you have experienced some type of harassment or if you want some coaching. However, don’t expect them to resolve the problems you might have with your manager. At the end of the day, they are getting paid by the company so they are serving their needs. They just need to make sure that everyone behaves according to the law.

And that’s why, if you report something that violates the law, they will have to break their confidentiality. They are obligated to inform the authorities so they can investigate a matter in depth. So, if you experience racial discrimination or abuse, your allegation might not stay between you and them.

7. Even if you’re the best, you won’t get promoted instantly.

Many graduates enter their first job with the intention of climbing up the ladder within the first few months. However, your company doesn’t have to recognize your amazing work and give you a promotion just because you want them to. They need you to keep doing your job correctly and contribute to their goals.

Don’t forget that you are just starting from the bottom and you need to prove yourself before going up. Don’t expect a promotion for the first 1-2 years. Chances are that there are many more people ahead of you who also deserve a promotion.

8. Sometimes security cameras are fake.

The cost for companies to set up lots of cameras and keep surveilling them can be quite hefty. Some companies or small businesses don’t have a strong enough system to connect 10 or even 20 cameras. That’s why they use a few fake ones along with real ones. Their goal is obviously to make possible shoplifters think twice about their intentions.

However, there are many people that can easily tell a fake and a real camera apart. That’s why many places will use broken real cameras that at least look 100% genuine. Also, big companies don’t actually monitor all the cameras in real-time, but instead just record what’s going on. So, unless something terrible happens and the police interfere, they won’t know if it was you who took the last bagel.

9. The IT person likely knows a lot about your online activity.

Let’s just say that everything you do on your work computer is visible to the IT department and your boss. For starters, your emails are being archived indefinitely, even the personal ones. Your entire internet usage is being monitored and even if you delete your browser’s history nothing will change. Your phone activity can also be tracked if you are connected to the company’s Wi-Fi.

Also, some companies install software that saves every word you type on Google and every other application on a cloud. Later, these keywords are evaluated and you might find yourself in trouble if you were searching for inappropriate stuff. Additionally, your productivity is monitored and if it is not up to the company’s standards then the team manager is notified.

10. Being on time means arriving 15 minutes early.

Arriving 15 minutes early at your job gives you some time to organize yourself. You can turn on your computer, go through your priorities, and make a stop by the kitchen to make your morning coffee. This way your brain has enough time to get into work mode before your actual work begins. You are in full control of your day and your schedule instead of running behind on things.

Not only that, but you relieve yourself of all the stress since you make sure that everything is right on schedule. However, you shouldn’t arrive too early since you might be taken for granted by your manager. And they might keep assigning you extra work since they know that you will arrive early to finish it.

11. Wear blue and black to a job interview.

Colors definitely bear a lot of power in any situation: personal or professional. When it comes to job interviews, you may want to consider which shade to choose to make the best of the opportunity. Black denotes leadership, you can wear it if you applied for a management job. Gray can be worn in any industry you apply in. It also denotes analytical and logical.

However, you may want to avoid brown and orange. The former states you’re slow to change and reliable. The latter states being unprofessional. You can try wearing green as it denotes possibility and growth.