A few advices for girls at work

Some of my experiences over the years... (I could write much more, but these are things that comes into my mind).

First you should find out what people are measured on and what their goals are (spelled our or not). Then expect that to have higher priority than everything else, including common sense, experience, just everything. People also have private goals that you should be aware of.

If you think that people you work with don't know what they're doing, please don't show or tell them what you think. They may have a plan that you don't know about.

Watch out for people who believe they are geniuses or more on less on the same level as Good, never question them in front of others and don't let them understand that you think they are just ordinary people. If you think people are knowledgeable, experienced and helpful, it's a good idea to tell them.

Be aware of people who are unexperienced and might feel insecure. If they do things in a completely stupid way, don't tell them how it should be done because then they will hate you for it. It's better to let them learn by themselves, unless they ask you for help.

If you are insecure and don't know how to do something, find out how people have done it before, and see if that's a good idea to reuse that way.

Make friends, but don't chat too much. Don't make friends with just a few, rather be friendly with everyone if possible.

Make sure you don't make enemies. One way to make enemies is to compete. Competition is likely to happen if you're having exactly the same role as a colleague. Ask your manager to define your role, so it's clear who is doing what, unless you are working together with someone who likes to work together, of course.

Be useful and helpful, but don't help people who don't want help. Some people likes to complain, but they don't want you to help them. Make sure to find which is the case. You should of course help people who wants your help.

Never speak bad about anybody else at work. It's easily done, but it will hurt you one way or another.

Never tell anyone if you have had some kind of problems. They may use it against you (even people you may think are your friends). Treat people as they were your friends, but never trust them 100%.

People like to gossip. Don't tell your manager things you don't want to have spread out, even private stuff. Your manager is likely to tell his or her manager.

Don't trust human resources. It is their job to facilitate the noticing and firing of people. But they are trained to be perceived as being friendly and are normally very good listeners, so be aware! Human resources usually have a file where all kinds of information about you is stored. A file that you're never allowed to see, so you wouldn't know for instance if someone have had any complaints about you.

You may flirt, but in the case you may fall in love make sure to handle it outside work. You should be aware of that people may flirt a lot with you, but most of the time it's just for fun.

If you're young and you believe an older colleague or manager has got a crush on you, it's best to not pretend not to know about it.

If you are older, you should be careful not to flirt with the younger guys. Keep it strictly to business. They may have a bad relation to their mother or sisters, and might not feel comfortable even with female friends, so take it easy and don't even expect to be friends.

When it comes to talking in public, like in large gatherings and meetings, I don't have any good advice. You should be aware of that in some organisations it's positively perceived as strong devotion, but others may find it provocative. Some managers feel responsible for your questions, so make sure to find out the company culture before opening your mouth.

It is good to be visible, but don't send e-mails to people that don't answer. If you for instance send mails to your manager, but you don't get any response, you should write exactly what response or action you would like to see. Many people thinks information is a burden. Make sure to find out what the case is with the people you work with.

Sensitive things should never be written in mails. Keep private communication private by using a private mail address.

Make sure to always use your title, address etc in the end of the mail. Don't expect people to respect what you say if you don't tell them your role. (it's stupid, but it tend to work that way)

Use weekly or monthly reports to show what you have accomplished. Never expect people to already know about it.

Most people are proud to be asked for help and most people are willing to help. Be very generous with compliments and make sure to give people credit.

Make sure you work with something that interests you, it makes it much more fun.