Some of the rules for being a good employee are the same as preparing for a job interview. Start as you mean to go on. Care about your employer and your contribution to the company and you are on the path to being a good employee.
A good employee is on time, in good working order and there every day
In most companies, start and end times, lunch and break periods and workdays are not guidelines, but rules. And they apply to you.
Eight to five does not mean eight-ish to five-ish with an hour-ish for lunch or skip lunch and leave at four.
Be in a condition to work: not tired, hung over or preoccupied. Check you cell phone only on breaks or lunch period. Your employers is not paying you to check your personal email or text on your cell phone.
Dress appropriately for the job
If the company has an employee handbook, check it for dress guidance. If they don’t have on or you are unsure, ask someone in the Human Resources (HR) department, or if you must, your direct boss. In case of doubt, dress better than you expect you will have to until you get the lay of the land. If you are unsure if something is OK, ask rather than assume that its OK, even if you see it on another employee (who may be the owner or the owner’s son and able to get away with it).
Listen rather than speak
This is a huge deal. We all like to show how much we know, but in this case, you don’t know the people, their culture or way of doing things yet. You could accidentally correct, comment on or insult the exact wrong person without even knowing it. Listening helps with the following really important guidelines for you to be successful in any new endeavor:
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Learn where the power is
My Mom taught me this when I was young but it took years for me to catch on to how important this is. In any unfamiliar situation this is an important guideline to follow. Often the most powerful person in a room is the quietest one. Often the one with the title does not have the power. Often the person with the power to fire or promote you is not your boss. A good employee listens and watches and learns all the time, but especially at the beginning.
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Learn the rules
Learn what the rules (written and spoken as well as unspoken) are. Read and understand the employee handbook. Follow the policies, especially those for sick days, calling in sick, working from home, asking for time off (none of which you will do right away, right?). If there is not employee handbook, ask to sit down with your supervisor “because you want to be sure you understand the rules”. When it comes to work, asking for forgiveness is NOT better than asking for permission.
Be nice to everyone and don’t “take sides”
As much as possible, try to get along with everyone. The people lower than you on the org chart may be the ones who make your job terrific or hell. Don’t believe me? Ask any waiter or waitress how important it is to keep the bus help happy.
Really endeavor not to take sides or join a clique. Try to remain neutral in disagreement. You can have an opinion, but don’t make disagreements personal or ugly. This isn’t just about being a good employee, this is about being a nice person.
Go the extra mile, give the extra 10%
Millennials get a rap that they don’t know the meaning of work. If you want to succeed and stand out, give a good day’s work. Give extra. Try harder. Bosses appreciate it (and promote because of the initiative). Don’t just work more. Find ways to get work done better and more efficiently. Find ways of saving the company money. Act as if it’s your time, money and assets and use your mind to find better ways to protect company resources.
Ask questions, take notes and show interest
Being a good employee means being curious and showing interest. Ask the questions to which you need answers and find out who has the answers you need. But don’t stop there. Take notes of answers so you don’t have to ask the question again. If someone explains something you dont need today, you may need it next week. So if you’ve taken notes on it, you will be prepared.
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