What are your rules for survival in the workplace?

Try not getting involved in any company politics.
Work alone if at all possible.
Never give or expect favours .

Don’t gossip about management; try not to gossip at all.

Work your hours.

Get additional training; even if you pay for it. You can use the education at another job, if necessary. Make sure your supervisor knows when you complete it. One place I worked there was a minimum number of hours online training per year to be part of your appraisal.

I haven’t really figured this stuff out yet, which should be unsurprising considering my recent lay off. My only major rule is one that should be obvious: do not disclose the health situation.

Take it from a retired corporate lemming, there are some great tips in this thread. Here’s another:

Never try to discover what others make. Knowing otther salaries is a recipe for discontent.

I have three more to add:

• Never betray a confidence. If you have a reputation for discretion, people will tell you all kinds of things.
• Never tell all you know.
• At the meeting where someone is sure to ask that unwelcome question (“How’s your team coming on that component?”, “What are we going to do about that bug report?”, etc.), you be the first to ask it. That gets you off the defensive. With any luck, you may not even have to answer it; but at least you’ll gain some time to think about it instead of getting put on the spot.

I see now that we did deal with a similar question once before, but it’s been more than three years, so there’s room for new discussion.

Rule #1. Be self-employed and bypass the workforce rat race.

Rule #2. If self-employment isn’t feasible:

- Never engage in office gossip.

- Never say anything negative about the boss, even if he/she is the world’s biggest jerk and the object of everybody’s derision. Rise above it.

- Don’t suck-up to the boss or try to be his/her buddy. Stay respectful, but keep a professional distance.

- Be the pleasant person whom everyone likes, the person who takes things in stride and gets along with each person from the CEO to the janitor. But, don’t be ingratiating about it; nobody wants to work with Eddie Haskill.

- Be prepared to walk away if you’re abused, bullied, or otherwise mistreated. Unfortunately, some situations are untenable and can’t be fixed. It’s good to have a minimum of 6 months living expenses saved and liquid (a good idea in general, regardless of workplace culture).

1. Show early and be ready to work hard through your entire shift (plus extra if needed).
2. Try to do all of your work plus 10% more.
3. Always present a positive up-beat attitude (Even when you are tired and in pain).
4. When the work gets crazy and people are flipping out that’s where you want to shine.

Can school count?

- Don’t do anything to make anyone know you are a nerd. Nerds don’t have special treatment in school. You either get bullied or used for that.
– Don’t involve in school drama, no matter how good it may feel like, even when someone tell you to. Sometimes they just need a scapegoal for their bullshit and you are the one to take all the fall.
– Try to make at least a few friends you can count on. You don’t need to build a strong bond, just someone comfortable to be with you. At least they will keep you update with sudden changes what to expect in tests.
– Don’t wait until the deadline and do your project in one sleepless night. You are in school to acquire knowledge in the first place, not to do projects and forget everything.
– At the end of the day the one who has ultimate control on your grade is you, so work now and stop relying on your friends.

Don’t be gullible and expect people to have your back, especially if people say they have your back. When it hits the fan, be prepared to have to deal with the fallout on your own.

Don’t tell other people all your ideas for innovative change. People WILL steal them. Keep your cards close to your chest and be strategic about when you present your ideas.

Be generous. Even if you do have ideas, include your peers. Take them with you, give them credit, even if not entirely deserved. There’s no I in team. You need people in your corner.

Don’t presume people will work as hard as you or that they will be as committed to projects as you are. Don’t get resentful. File the experience away for future reference.

Even if other people’s laziness or inefficiencies hampered progress, be careful how you relay that to your bosses. They want outcomes not excuses. Even if the excuses are justified.

Don’t take problems to your boss, take solutions. We have a problem, here’s how we can fix it.

Some of these seem contradictory, but workplace relations are a bit of a dance and a game. You have to learn to read the play.

Finally, knowledge is power. Listen, watch, learn, make connections and network. But as was said above, be discreet. Don’t gossip, don’t share everything you know.

Each person/fellow employee you cross paths with you MUST imagine how it would feel as they push you in front of an oncomming bus.