Safe Luxury

First job and want to make the right impression- re: office work hours ethic?

I'm fresh out of uni and started my first job three weeks ago. It's a 9-5 job but there's a lot of work to clear because the guy I replaced was very inefficient, and that's on top of all the stuff I get daily in the in tray. A lot of my colleagues work longer hours. Should I do this as well? It's my first job so I want to create the right impression of work ethic. On the other hand, I want to have a work/life balance. I feel I should leave the office every day at 5pm cos it takes me 1hour to get home and I don't feel safe walking alone when it's dark but other people don't know this and might think I only work the number of hours I'm paid for. Should I start work earlier everyday just so I can clear the old guy's backlogged stuff? I would really appreciate your opinion, especially people who have worked a number of years who can advice a person fresh out of college. Thanks so much.

Public Comments

1. Are you on Salary? If so, then yes, put in the extra time. Showing up early and leaving late give your co-workers the impression that you care about your work and/or the the health of the company. If you are not salary, then comprise a list of the tasks to be done in order to bring your possision up to speed. You should check and balance the action list against your job description. And if you notice that you are doing much more than listed, you may want to bring this to the attention of your supervisor. Making a good impression with co-workers is key. You will most likely be working with these people for years to come and their perception of you will either make your life easier or harder in the future, your choice. And I'm not talking about brown nosing, just showing dedication to your work. Good Luck, the extra effort will not go unnoticed.
2. That's a hard one, Janice!! What I would do is discuss it with my immediate supervisor first. Explain your position and that you'd be keen to work the extra hours but you don't feel safe walking home in the dark. Your supervisor can only be impressed that you're keen to work. And that's the other thing. If you WORK in that 9-5 bracket, the people around you (including your supervisor and those you want to make a good first impression on) will see it and recognise it for what it is: an excellent work ethic. I'm talking about stuff like very short breaks, limited chatting on the phone, no browsing on the internet, non-encouragement of office gossip (like, listen politely, but don't get too involved or start anything yourself) etc. If you can bring your lunch and eat at your desk then that's good too - maybe go out for lunch on Fridays or something as a reward. You need to have SOME fun at work, otherwise it's a drag and you shouldn't be doing it...!! I'd only consider coming in an hour or so early during the really busy times, like if you don't then you're unreasonably swamped. And whatever you do, don't make a habit of it..! - otherwise it becomes "expected" and then it's a pain to get back to your normal working hours. Discuss this with your supervisor too. "I'm going to come in early to help clear this backlog, but when it's cleared I'll go back to my normal working hours." -- and monitor it. Don't let it become a habit!! Best of luck.