Face it: rock stars employees get rock star treatment. If you’ve only been with the company a short time, then you need to do whatever it takes to get some high profile “wins” under your belt. Think about these three things…

Standing up (and sometimes walking towards the door in severe cases) is a clear signal for the conversation to wrap up. With a few people, it may come down to letting them know that your style at the office is not about mixing work and play…

Put yourself in your manager’s shoes. What will the others be worried about? That you won’t get all of your work done? That your colleagues will all want flextime too? Anticipate these concerns so you can be prepared to address them.

Find a common ground. Maybe you both like college basketball, for instance, so you can talk about who’s going to the Final Four.

It is not a question of being a snob, or “too good” for this kind of chatter. In fact, there is some value in these light conversations as they act as social lubricants and you can harm your social relationships in the office by being too stand-offish.

Bonding with your co-workers is important for feeling included and getting things done more easily. Don’t put yourself at the mercy of your colleagues.

Christine Hassler is a life coach, professional speaker and author dedicated to supporting Gen Y in discovering who they are, what they want and how to get it. Christine left her successful job as a Hollywood agent at 25 to pursue a life she could be passionate about – but it did not […]