Socialization on the Job by Laura Cummings | HOMESCHOOLING TODAY Magazine

Being ostracized for our weirdness because we are homeschoolers and Christians is nothing new for any of us. Homeschooled teens getting their first real job are also going to be seen as different. This can present special challenges in the workplace. But the skills you learn about interacting successfully with your co-workers will help you throughout the rest of your adult life. 

Typical teen and college student jobs are generally not going to be the most glamorous positions available. Sometimes you have to get a job just to make the money. And when you get your first “student” jobs, it is hard to adapt to a work environment when you are not comfortable with your co-workers.

This happened to me in my freshman year of college. Over the summer, I snagged a full-time job working in a restaurant. I had babysat in the past and worked as a lifeguard for three years; however, being a waitress was totally different! The job required constant interaction with cooks, dishwashers, customers, and other servers in order to keep everything going smoothly. I’ve never had a problem with communication—I love to talk—but the problem was communicating on the same ground with my fellow servers.

There was some commonality between other college students and myself: we could chat about classes and weird teachers. But the older ladies were more difficult. Unknown to me, everything I did gave away the fact that I had been raised in a different environment than the people around me. I used correct grammar and had the large vocabulary that is a dead giveaway that you’ve been homeschooled. What set me apart even more was that I never cursed or used swear words. The restaurant business is notorious for the salty language of its employees. The initial result was that most of the older servers didn’t trust or like me.

With time, I built bridges with those who distrusted me and strengthened the bonds with the servers who were my friends. In six months’ time, I had a good relationship with all the employees, and I looked forward to work instead of dreading it.

Now, taking on a special “work persona” when walking into your work building is not the right answer. Neither is adding all manner of vulgarity to your vocabulary in order to fit in. But it is possible to develop a special strategy for adapting to and enjoying your particular work environment. Adjusting to your job can be easier than you think. Try some of these ideas. They’ll help you have more fun at your job.

Appreciate People

Most of the grill-line cooks where I work are not the tamest of men. I was put off by their rough manners and terseness at first. But after working with them for several months, I saw beneath their hard edges. They might not be perfect, but these men had good hearts and were honest people. In a crisis, I would trust them more than any smooth-talking executive with a more “respectable” job. As Christians, looking for the good in others is the attitude we need to have. I’m not encouraging you to ignore bad behavior, but I believe you can find at least one admirable character trait in everyone you work with.

Talk with Your Co-workers

This may seem obvious, but if you’re feeling out-of-place in your work environment, it’s easy to be shy and melt into the background. Resist that temptation! If you don’t interact, people will assume you’re stuck-up, and that will make the situation worse. The best way to get people talking is to ask them about themselves in a friendly way. You may not be able to discuss the fantastic barhopping party that went on last night, but you can talk about majors, careers, and kids just like anyone else. While rolling silverware late one night with another waitress, I discovered that she worked two jobs in addition to going to school because she loved to travel to foreign countries. Amazed, I asked her where she had been, and I wound up hearing all about her latest trip to New Zealand! You’ll never know how much there is to discover and learn without talking to the people around you.

Never Show Off

This is an elemental part of basic good manners, but it bears repeating. You should never show off. Just because you might have more academic knowledge than the people you work with does not make you a superior human being. I resisted the urge to snicker when my manager wrote a sign that said. “Please turn your clocks back Saturday nite—thanxs!” Be aware of the type of place you’re in and modify accordingly. For example, if you think of a hilarious Shakespeare pun on the joke your colleague just told, don’t say it unless you think they’ll understand it.

Be the Best at Your Job

Even if your co-workers are still a little cool, you can win them over by doing a good job. Always be punctual and responsible for your work schedule. Always be ready to help the people around you if they need some assistance. That’s a sure way to get help from them when you need it too!

Have Fun with Your Work

If you take your sense of humor along with you on the job, you will find that work is more fun for you and everyone around you. Practical jokes usually aren’t a good idea in the workplace, but you can certainly find humor in the situations and people around you. For example, in my restaurant job, the eccentricities of our customers often made for a good laugh among the servers. Requests for “floppy bacon,” the man who always puts sugar in his iced tea then demands to know why it tastes sweet, and other unusual happenings are the war stories that make a foundation for building relationships on shared experiences. And never forget that a smile goes a long way!

While it’s not easy to adapt to the new environment of the working world, it can be done. It is scary at first, but after you expand your interpersonal skills by learning to communicate well with your co-workers, you will have a whole new set of talents!

©2009 Homeschooling Today magazine, Nehemiah Four, LLC