Ever since I joined the the workforce of the ol' yellow n' blue, I've been enjoying myself quite a bit! The job has given me some vital experience, not to mention the free lunches and cheap food.
I could spend days telling you about the staff-cafeteria in IKEA,the free drinks and the scrumptious food they provide. Do not be fooled! Many believe that the staff eat Swedish Meatballs everyday, but no. IKEA does so much more than make the best meatballs in town. I wish I could go on, but this is a blog about Public Relations not food(it's a pity though).
It's not about the meatballs!
Although my time in IKEA has been productive and enjoyable, there is one challenge that has been at the back of my mind.
Fitting in.
"Fitting in? Oh please, you're a PR practitioner!"
"Shouldn't talking to people and fitting in be second nature to you?"
Having studied PR for the past two and a half years, most people would think that fitting in should be the least of my worries. I completely agree. PR is all about communication, relationships and reputation, and if I have been studying that for the past few years, I shouldn't be having this difficulty.But being human, I still have blind spots, and when it comes to working in IKEA, there are a couple of barriers that made it difficult for me to adapt.
Both age and culture of the staff in IKEA have had an impact on how I connect with them. In IKEA, the staff come from at least 10 different cultural backgrounds. Not to mention, 20 years is a massive age gap and it does get difficult at times connecting with those in that age group. It's an interesting experience working with people from numerous countries and an older age group, but it does have its challenges.
Having worked in IKEA for a month now, I've learnt a couple of lessons about adapting to a new workplace with differences in age and culture.
1. Change your attitude and be proactive!
Don't expect others to help you to adapt in the workplace. Talk to your co-workers, engage them, find out more about them. There's no harm in doing that.
2. Use your age to your advantage
Instead of focusing on what you cannot change, focus on what you CAN change. You can make a valuable contribution to the team by providing a different perspective. It might be just what they need!
I hope you've been learning as much as I have been from this internship! Don't ever stop learning!
"The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing" - John Powell
Regards,
Andrew Lyn
Curtin Bentley
2 comments:
this is awesome Andrew!u got the best learning outcome in suiting in the environment.i would say t was kinda same for me in my placement,having to speak out to the elderly people was quiet a challenge but you had to be heard,and for me i was quite impressed sometime when we were organizing for an event and i had to break a new ground in relating to a different department where we had to host the event in Hospital.my boss used to tell me "speak out,loud and clear"and i used it at that moment,i had to present my ideas of what i feel could be done to give a different taste and view when dealing with pregnancy,it was an Ante-natal program launch.all women get pregnant all the times but what are we communicating to them that's different this time?i pitched the ideas loud and clear despite being around the gap age,not only age gap but experience gap too,but at the end of it all i would say they love ticking to the old culture and norm of the company but they are open to fresh ideas,so nail it if you got the chance..
Chao!!
Hi Andrew,
Interesting view that you have there! I personally think that fitting in an organisation can be daunting for PR students as well even though, as you said, majority people would think that it is our second nature. During my internship with the Keep Australia Beautiful Council WA, I must admit that I was a little intimidated with the thought of fitting in with the state government staff as I always had a perception that they were really serious and strict people that do not take any nonsense and are working at a much higher level and had superior authority than ordinary people. However, I was proven wrong as although they were really serious about their work, they are human beings too and are really friendly, helpful and supportive people. I reckon fitting in is just a matter of time, friendliness and being genuinely sincere about getting to know the people at work. Looking forward to read more interesting blogpost of yours! Enjoy the rest of your internship.
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