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FiddlerClamp

1. Make friends with the receptionist or office manager. This goes a long way.

2. Bring goodies for the first major holiday/celebration (i.e. Halloween, Valentine's Day) that comes up.

3. If think of things that could be changed or improved, write them down, then sit on those notes for at least a month.

4. Avoid gossip. The best reply if someone says something gossipy to you is a non-committal "Ahh" or "Hmm."

5. Be relentlessly positive. No mention of anything bad going on in your non-work life.

6. Avoid saying things like "TGIF" or "at least it's Wednesday."

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> 6. Avoid saying things like "TGIF" or "at least it's Wednesday."

Since switching careers (I'm a former banquet manager turned software engineer) I've always advised people who spend their entire week looking forward to the weekend to change careers to something they'll enjoy more. Sadly too many people feel work is something that must be hated.

Nobody, if given the chance, would chose to clean toilets if they didn't have to. As of now, we can't replace these people with robots. So your fantasy world where everyone chooses a fulfilling career is unsustainable.

> Nobody, if given the chance, would chose to clean toilets if they didn't have to.

In my experience people with occupations like that consider it a job instead of a career. In the interest of clarity perhaps I should have used the word professional in my previous comment instead of people (not that a "career" is limited to professionals, but colloquially that's more often how the word is used).

My mother derived great satisfaction from cleaning other peoples' homes. If it paid better, she probably would still be doing it.

Work / Life segmentation is noted as healthy, so it's easy to see why people should be excited for weekends and vacation.

You can frame TGIF as an achievement without it being about hating your job. It can be the same as completing a tough milestone / sprint.

A great way to further encourage this is to start the week with a celebration too. Whether it's free lunches on Monday or little team things.

> 5. Be relentlessly positive. No mention of anything bad going on in your non-work life.

This helps in many situations. There are the times, bad times, when a team is put in a terrible situation. Admitting this can let people stop dwelling on the pain individually, and pull together as a team to make the best of the situation.

> 5. Be relentlessly positive. No mention of anything bad going on in your non-work life.

This is great advice. Negativity by a few can really drag down a department. But don't go around like a Ned Flanders and smiling like an idiot. Be positive towards the work and the team.

All excellent advice. I especially like #4,5.

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