I'm not sure that this post is in the spirit of this sub but I'm writing it after having had many shitty experiences working. My hope is that someone will read this and get some good advice. Please don't go through the BS I've had to go through. These corporations are not worth getting frustrated over.
- The company is not your family. Your coworkers are not your friends.
When you're young and don't know anything you come to work with stars in your eyes. You think “now I'm an independent adult”. You meet your manager and coworkers and they've all treated you nicely. What you fail to realize is that there may come a time when treating you like a person is not in the company's best interests. Your coworker may be eligible for a promotion…unless they promote you first.
These people are not your friends. You don't have a work wife or a work husband. That's complete stupidity. The company is not your family. If you die no one from the company will come check on your family. No one from the company will babysit while your widow/widower tries to go back to school. THEY DONT GIVE A FUCK ABOUT YOU. PERIOD. ITS NOT COMPLICATED. STOP SIMPING FOR THE CORPORATIONS.
- Don't let them gaslight you
I worked for a software development firm as technical support. My customers loved me. I was so good at what I did that they would request me by name. Somehow my boss would find all kinds of minutiae to penalize me on. We would end up having these meetings where he would “evaluate my performance” and it was really a lot of hot air. It was all bullshit by some asshole manager trying to justify his position. I got to the point where I would slouch in my chair and basically tell him that I disagree with his assessment.
Your mental health is more important than your salary because without your mental health you will be unable to acquire said salary let alone FUNCTION AS A HUMAN BEING. The best thing you can do when you get a new job is take a deep breath and remember to not give a fuck. For some, this comes naturally, but for others it is a skill that takes time to master. I'm pretty much a 4th degree black belt in not giving a fuck.
- Don't give them any information that they can use against you
Life is like a series of games. In any card game, you do not show your cards to your opponents (blackjack doesn't count here). The corporation is your opponent. The cards are personal details. Don't think that this is a buddy-buddy relationship. It is absolutely adversarial. Obviously if you are introducing yourself to your team you can tell them your hobbies. If you are disabled then you make sure that you let the hiring manager know right when they're ready to hire you. If you tell them beforehand they might decide that “you're just not a good fit”. This is how you force dickheads to let you work fully remote. (Before you decide to crucify me, I'm actually disabled and am not legally permitted to drive). Anyone who doesn't like my methods is the kind of person that holds on to the wild draw 4 in UNO instead of hammering his opponent into oblivion. You think the company that hired you doesn't engage in all kinds of tax shenanigans, legal loopholes, and other kinds of fuckery? Throw that fucking Wild Draw 4 down. As soon as they see their profit margins thinning they'll throw you out on your ass. Treat them the same way.
- Don't let them step on you
There are a certain class of petty assholes that are unable to handle working in a hierarchy. We've all met them. They think that the title of manager makes them superior to you. They're not. Learn the labor laws and learn them well. Evaluate your situation and move accordingly but always stand up for yourself. Don't let them take your dignity.
This definitely is not an exhaustive list and may not apply to every country. I live in the United States.