Career Expert Shares Tips To Survive In Employment: "Don't Invite Colleagues In Your Home"

• Career and law expert Obarimo has advised employees to order modestly when dining with their boss, suggesting that choosing less expensive items can prevent perceptions of competition
• He recommended sharing innovative ideas privately with one’s boss first, allowing them to present them as their own, which can secure an employee’s value within the company
• Obarimo emphasised respect for all, regardless of their position, warning that in some companies, tea girls and security guards wield heavy power

Muyela Roberto is a business journalist at TUKO.co.ke with over 9 years of experience in the digital media, offering deep insights into Kenyan and global economic trends.

A Kenyan career expert has shared his unconventional yet practical tips for surviving the office environment and avoiding the pitfalls that could lead to unfair dismissal or unnecessary workplace tension.

Through a TikTok video, Obarimo noted that places of employment were unpredictable and sometimes unfair, requiring employees to be shrewd and also conservative.

Dining with discretion

When invited for a coffee or lunch date by a boss, Obarimo advised ordering modestly, even if the company or someone else is footing the bill.

Opting for less expensive items, he said, can prevent bosses from feeling challenged or upstaged.

"Ask for something cheaper, don't also order what your boss has ordered, even if it is paid for. Such small things, some foolish bosses will think you are competing with them. That's number one," he started.

Idea ownership

Obarimo underscored the fact that innovation was key, but timing was everything. He advised that if you have a groundbreaking idea, share it privately with your boss first.

This allows them to present it as their own, a tactic that, while seemingly unfair, can make you indispensable as the brain behind the operation.

"If you have a new idea, very new and you think it can change your company or where you work, don't wait to say it in the boardroom or when you are having a meeting or in the staff room.

Go and tell your boss so that your boss will come and say as if it is their own idea. That is just a simple survival tactic."

Universal respect

He emphasised the need for humility, disclosing that hierarchy in the workplace isn’t always as it seems.

In some setups, he said an intern or the security guard might wield more influence than their titles suggest, possibly having connections to high-ranking officials or being related to top management.

"You can find in some places, just the tea girl, the tea girl, the one who serves tea, is actually a relative or a sister of the managing director. And here you are running your mouth, saying this, saying that," he continued.

Party etiquette

At company parties, especially those serving alcohol, Obarimo suggested sticking to non-alcoholic beverages.

Consuming alcohol at work events, he warned, can lead to loose lips and career-damaging statements.

"Will you die if you drink tea or soda then go enjoy your alcohol at home? No."

Home invitations

Lastly, he urged caution about inviting coworkers to your home. Such invitations, he said, can lead to gossip or even reports on your personal life that could affect your professional standing.

"Some of them have not come to visit you. Some of them have just come to see how you live so that they can have something to talk about or so that they can have something to report about you. Be careful," he advised.

Obarimo’s guidance, while unorthodox, focuses on the social intelligence required to thrive in today’s workplaces.

Your phone is your office

Lastly, he emphasised on the need of etiquette duiing phone calls, insisting it can be a make or break point in a persons career, especially if they are still job hunting.

"Always answer work calls professionally, as your phone is like an office. If your office provides the phone, you must answer anytime. If not, only answer outside working hours if your job requires it.

Job seekers should always be polite on calls, as they don't know who's calling. Bosses should avoid calling prospective employees directly and use messages or emails instead. Also, keep your phone on vibrate and avoid loud ringtones or inappropriate tunes to maintain professionalism," Obarimo told TUKO.co.ke.

His insights remind employees that success isn’t just about what you know or do, but also how you navigate the complex web of office relationships.

It is also a stuck reminder of the popular but harsh statements that the people you work with are not friends but only colleagues.

Proofreading by Otukho Jackson, a multimedia journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke