People rarely lose entry-level jobs for being bad at the work. They lose them for lateness, for how they speak to someone, or for a small dishonesty that grew.
Time. If you will be late, message before you are late, not after. "I am running twenty minutes late, the taxi has not come" is a completely different thing from arriving twenty minutes late in silence.
Tone. You can disagree with anyone at work. How you do it decides whether you are seen as thoughtful or difficult. Disagree with the idea, never with the person, and never in front of an audience if you can help it.
Trust. Small dishonesties cost jobs: taking stock, clocking in for a friend, saying something was done when it was not. Each one feels small on its own and none of them stay small.
You will be about half an hour late because of transport.
What happens: Your manager spent thirty minutes wondering where you were, possibly covering for you. The lateness was forgivable; the silence is what gets remembered.
What happens: Now it is a managed problem rather than a missing person. Most managers barely register lateness that was communicated early.
Someone is treating me badly at work
Write down what happened and when, each time. Raise it with your manager, or with HR if your manager is the problem. If it involves harassment or discrimination, you have protections in law and the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration can advise you. A written record from the beginning matters enormously.
My manager asked me to do something I think is wrong
Ask a clarifying question first, because it may be a misunderstanding. If it is genuinely dishonest or unsafe, you can decline, and you should put your concern in writing, for example a short email confirming what was asked. You are not protected by having been told to do it.
Before you move on
- Message before you are late, not after
- Disagree with ideas, never with people
- Keep a written record if something goes wrong
Check what you know
3 questions. Have a look at what this lesson asks.
Sign in to take this quiz
Reading is free and always will be. Answering counts towards your progress, your streak and your certificate, so we need to know who you are.
Sign in or create a free accountIt takes a minute and costs nothing.