Important Things To Know Before Your First Day of Work

Man on his first day at work. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

If you are looking forward to your first ever job, employment posters can teach you everything about the legalities, privileges, responsibilities, and rights of being an employee. While knowing all these will truly work in your favor as you go along the road of being employed, there still are some other important things that employment posters cannot teach you.

To help you on your new challenge in life, here are some important things that every fresh graduate or new employee should know before their first day of work:

1.    Where to allocate your salary.
Chances are that you have already thought of where to spend your first ever paycheck. Whether you are planning on hosting a fabulous dinner for your parents or your girlfriend or thinking of buying that watch you have been wanting for so long, it is time for a reality check.

Before you think of any other luxurious expenses, let us give you a quick summary of the deductions you should expect namely federal, state, and local taxes, Social Security, and health insurance premiums. These are automatically deducted from your paycheck monthly. You should also include here your monthly apartment rent, bills, and student loans in the past that allowed you to get where you are today.

2.    What to expect from your workplace and coworkers.
With state-of-the art machineries and devices, you must still be in awe of your workplace. Remember that those are expensive machines and you must always ask how to use it properly.

With regards to your would-be coworkers, it would be best to keep it professional at all times even during the gossip moments that you might feel tempted to share your own gossip thoughts. Relationships are also prohibited in the workplace for many reasons unless you want to be in a totally awkward position or even out of job later on.

Always be polite. This does not mean that you should let others step on you. This means to always exude positive vibes through smiling and courtesy. Remember that a smile can definitely go a long way.

3.    Do not be afraid to start from the bottom.
As a fresh graduate, you have to start from the bottom regardless of your degree unless you are the heir or heiress to a multibillion fortune. Keep in mind that in order to reach higher places, you have to be willing to try and conquer everything.

Always have a positive attitude towards your job regardless of your position, do your job efficiently, and you will surely be rewarded in due time.

4.    Do not let yourself be too absorbed by work alone.
In all things that we do, we should not let ourselves be totally absorbed by a single thing that we forget and take our other responsibilities for granted. There should always be a balance in order to maintain a harmonious relationship.

Whether it is workplace drama or your impossible coworker or the tons of work you are receiving daily, get a stress reliever to keep your sanity intact. You owe this to yourself in order to function efficiently or you might soon face a burnout.

These are practical things that everyone should know before they take that first step towards work. They may not be as important as the employment posters but they could surely keep the work life easier and happier.

Sophie likes writing on employment posters related or labor law compliance for both employees and employers and offers some career tips for those who are pursuing a bright future. Follow her on https://twitter.com/MandatoryPoster for more information.