What the Office Never Teaches You: A Story for Young Employees
Lena had just started her first real job at a busy marketing firm in the city. Fresh out of university, she believed that if she worked hard and was nice to everyone, everything would fall into place. Her manager smiled, her colleagues chatted at lunch, and she thought, “I’m fitting in.” But after a few months, she began to notice patterns—small things that no one had ever told her in school.
One day, she realized that one of her teammates, Mark, was always cheerful at work—joking, nodding, saying “Good job!”—but outside the office, he never liked her posts, never texted her, never called. Lena felt a bit hurt, but her older colleague, Mr. Chen, put it bluntly: “If someone never contacts you outside of work, they don’t really like you. In adult life, people wear masks. They are polite because they have to be, not because they care.”
Then there was Lisa, a colleague she barely knew, who kept asking, “How are you?” and “What are you working on?” in a way that felt a little too curious. Mr. Chen noticed Lena’s confusion and whispered, “People who suddenly care too much about your life are often eyes and ears for the boss. Be honest, but don’t pour out your soul to them.”
Lena also saw how the quiet, “nice” guy in the corner, Mr. Wang, was often ignored or mocked by others. Some joked that he was “too soft,” but Mr. Chen warned her, “Don’t pick on the quiet ones. They may seem harmless, but even a calm river can flood. If you push them too far, you’ll regret it.”
She began to notice other things too. A senior manager, Mr. Lin, always seemed perfect—never late, never wrong, never showing stress. “That’s because he doesn’t trust you yet,” Mr. Chen said. “When someone hides all their flaws, it means they’re still watching you.” But when another colleague, Ms. Li, started talking about her family, her parents, and her struggles, Lena felt a shift. “When someone shares their home life with you, they’re telling you, ‘I trust you enough to drop my guard.’”
One day, Lena snapped at a coworker over a small mistake and they argued loudly. She worried she had ruined the relationship, but Mr. Chen told her, “If someone fights back, there’s still hope. If they just go silent and slowly disappear from your life, that’s when they’ve decided to cut you off.”
She also learned to read body language. When people avoided eye contact while talking to her, she noticed they often sounded bored or distracted. “If someone can’t look you in the eye, they’re either insecure or just pretending to listen,” Mr. Chen said.
Over time, Lena realized that silence alone wouldn’t protect her. “Silence is golden,” Mr. Chen told her, “only if you’re already strong. If you’re unknown and quiet, people will just forget you exist.” She started speaking up in meetings, sharing her ideas, and asking questions.
She also learned not to trust everyone who promised her shortcuts. “People who suddenly say, ‘I’ll help you get promoted’ or ‘I’ll introduce you to the boss’ usually want something from you,” Mr. Chen warned. “Real help doesn’t come with strings attached.”
By the end of her first year, Lena wasn’t just surviving at work—she was starting to understand the unspoken rules. She learned that politeness isn’t always friendship, curiosity isn’t always kindness, and silence isn’t always wisdom. She still worked hard, but now she also watched, listened, and thought before she spoke or trusted.
And that, Mr. Chen said, is what separates a young employee from a young professional.
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