D-DAY ­ YOUR FIRST DAY 31 Not putting your foot in it Whilst it's obviously very important to come across as open and friendly with the people you meet, do keep your guard up. You don't know anything about these people; you don't know their backgrounds, their opinions, their characters; you don't know their relationships with each other. So watch what comes out of your mouth! Think before you speak. Steer clear of saying anything too personal or anything which could be remotely controversial or which could potentially cause any offence to anyone. Tact is the word. Stick to small talk. It can be all too easy to say something which you might later come to regret. Remember: EBBOM... engage brain before opening mouth! My wife made the big mistake of casually confiding to a colleague that she thought her new boss was `a bit of a bulldog'. It took less than 24 hours for that boss to find out that their new nickname was `The Bulldog'! STA TI STI C It's not just what you say that can count against you. Surveys show that one of the most common errors a new starter can make is accidentally using someone else's coffee cup! People can be terribly territorial... bon appétit Lunch might just be a quick sandwich at your desk or, if you're a shift worker, lunch might not exist at all. Then again, in many workplaces, staff often get together for lunch ­ and there's probably even more chance of this happening if it's your first day. There will probably be at least one person keen to take the new boy or girl under their wing. And that's when you really have to watch what you say! Lunchtime is prime time for gossip and office politics (which we'll be talking about more in Chapter 20). Don't be antisocial but do play it carefully. You could just turn down the invitation to have lunch together because you have to go down the gym or have some shopping to do or just want to get well away from everyone to clear your head! But be very wary of snubbing anyone on your very first day; your first invitation might well turn out to be your last.