Starting a new job can be stressful. On the one hand, you have to learn the ropes and adapt to an unfamiliar work culture; on the other, you strive to make a good impression with your colleagues and bosses. It can be tough trying to balance being an eager learner and being likeable as a co-worker.

THE first day on a new job is always the hardest. It's likely to be a sea of faces and a long babble of names you think you'll never remember. You want to do well, stand out, but also be a team player.

Every action or move you make has a consequence, especially when you are new. In the quest to fit in, try to steer clear from the following things you should not do in your first month at work.

1. Being Late For Work

When you’re trying to make a good impression with the bosses and co-workers, it all starts from the first hours of the working day. Being late never sits well with people in the office. That’s why you should always factor in the extra time you might need in case of a traffic jam, an item accidentally left at home, parking woes, or at least until you are familiar with the route to the office. This way, you can turn up early for work when your travels are smooth and when you get into unforeseen circumstances; you can still make it to work on time.

2. Recommending changes right away.

But they said they look forward to your new ideas! “Even when people say they want change, they don’t want it overnight. Breathing new life into everything around you could make colleagues think you’re an egomaniac. Instead, Ask polite questions about procedures. Say to coworkers, “I notice you create reports using process X—can you explain why?” If you still see room for improvement, offer up suggestions rather than speaking in absolutes.

3. Don't tell your new manager how your old manager did things

Unless you were hired to be a change agent in your new position, your new company has little interest in how your old company handled things. Your new company has likely been successfully doing things the same way for a while, and there isn't much that will scorch a manager's ears like a new hire trying to change policies and procedures that have worked well.

4. Getting Involved in Gossip

Gossip is frowned upon in the workplace for good reasons: they carry incomplete, or sometimes completely wrong information, also known as rumors. Gossip-peddlers sometimes spread these bits of info with personal agendas, which almost always implicate company morale, relationships across the office and vertically up the corporate ladder.

5. Trying too hard to stand out

Often, new hires land in the spotlight for the wrong reasons, Dressing flashier than your coworkers may distance you from them, So will taking on projects that aren’t part of your job, which can make you seem like a suck-up to peers and go ignored by higher-ups. Instead: Respect the official and unofficial dress codes. When the “who wants to take on…?” begins at a meeting, resist raising your hand, at least for your first few weeks on the job.

6. Keep your complaints to a minimum

You may end up with the worst schedule in your office or the desk chair with the loose wheel. Guess what? So did everyone else when they first started. Get over it. Do the best you can with the schedule and equipment you may have to work with. It's not likely to go on forever and may teach you to have a little sympathy for the next new person.

7. Reveal Too Much About Yourself

Don’t judge a book by its cover. As the new person in the workplace, you have no idea who you can trust until you spend more time mingling around. This means that it is not advisable for you to reveal too much about yourself no matter how likable or sociable your colleagues may be. You never know if he or she may use that information against you. Information is fodder for gossip. Nevertheless, be friendly and polite to everyone.

8. Going online during your spare time

Our days will probably have lulls as you get up and running. It's tempting to use those quiet times to hop on social media but just because everyone else is doing it doesn't mean you should. Ask your manager if she needs anything done, or ask colleagues about their roles and responsibilities.

Being new can be quite rewarding when you conscientiously avoid the little mistakes that can mean big trouble. So hold your head up, take a deep breath, and proceed with caution.