Peer Pressure in the Work Place

Peer pressure follows adults into the work place. You’re no longer in the school yard, yet still you have to learn how to juggle pleasing others along with pleasing yourself. We fall into a pattern of how we react to things as we grow through our high school and college years. As an adult in the work environment, some of our normal reactions to peer pressure may not work the same.

Some groups may choose to go out for a Happy Hour on Friday after the work week ends and ask you to come along. Nobody is twisting your arm, but you may feel obligated to participate. At one company I worked for numerous employees would all gather together after work once a week and drink and dance all night long. It wasn’t a necessity, but it was always appreciated if you showed up once in awhile and enjoyed the team spirit. As one who doesn’t drink, I would choose to go about once every six weeks and drink soda and dance while everyone around me got intoxicated. Some environments just don’t mix, and it’s easy to burn bridges or have misunderstandings when alcohol is involved. Politely explaining you have plans will get you out of an unpredictable situation.

Simple chain and junk mails going through the work system can clog up your mail and you may well just not like receiving these items. Your co-worker may be passing it on in a fun spirit, but the twenty-fifth time is just starting to wear on your nerves. Quietly deleting the mail without opening it or asking the co-worker to remove you from the mailing list is a simple fix.

Other employees may ask you to cover their shift for them. You may be looking forward to that time off, and their numerous requests are making you cave in to the shift. Stand your ground and quite simply tell them you are unable to help them out this shift, but maybe another time. You can easily explain that your time away from work is valuable and you have errands or appointments to keep.

Gossiping is another alley way that may lead you to a dead end. Avoid gossiping with co-workers. Being neutral is a simple thing to do. You may hear things other workers are saying, but you don’t need to be a person who spreads gossip.

Keep your mouth politely closed when it comes to discussing other co-workers. Always turn a negative situation into a positive one and you can avoid peer pressure in the workplace!