Joshua Odgen-Davis

Penelope： Hey， Sebastian！ ①Glad to see youre still kicking！

Sebastian： Hi， Penelope. Whats that supposed to mean？

Penelope： Im just glad your new job hasnt done you in. ②Youve been kind of off the radar lately， so we all assumed you were in over your head at the new company. Sebastian： Well， kind of. But Im still alive and well； its nothing I cant handle！

Penelope： ③Thats the spirit！ So， whats it like？ Is the new boss a slave driver？

Sebastian： Hardly. Shes pretty relaxed about working styles， as long as everyone meets the deadlines.

Penelope： She sounds reasonable. If shes not the problem， then it must be the workload thats got you down. Did they load you down with projects right off the bat？

Sebastian： Not at all. ④Theyre letting me get my feet wet with some small projects， so I can really ease into the new position.

Penelope： Then Im 1）stumped. Why have you been 2）bummed about the new job？

Sebastian： It actually has nothing to do with the job itself. Ive just been trying to figure out how to fit in with my new co-workers.

Penelope： ⑤I never would have guessed！ Youre such an 3）upbeat guy， its hard to imagine youd have a problem fitting in.

Sebastian： Its never been a problem before， but this office culture is different from my last job. Theyre a lot more negative. Penelope： Im surprised. From what youve said， the work environment seems pretty relaxed. Why would there be a negative 4）vibe？

Sebastian： I dont think theyre actually bad people， but many of them really like to gossip.

Penelope： ⑥You mean， they like to talk about people behind their backs？

Sebastian： Yep. Co-workers， clients， even the boss. It seems like every time they take a smoke break， they pick someone else to criticize.

Penelope： I can imagine. All your co-workers standing around 5）dissing people， and you standing off to the side， not saying a word.

Sebastian： Thats right！

Penelope： Well， is that so bad？ If they want to be rude， you can let them. Dont feel the need to sink down to their level.

Sebastian： I mostly agree with you. But the problem is， if I dont start gossiping with them soon， Ill end up with a reputation as the anti-social new guy.

Penelope： Ah， now I can see where youre coming from. No matter who they are， your co-workers are still your co-workers， and a good rapport is important.

Sebastian： Bingo. So what can I do？

Penelope： ⑦Well， in my humble opinion， I think youre doing it half-right already. Theres no need to pick up other peoples bad habits. Always follow your own moral compass instead of sacrificing your ideals just to fit in.

Sebastian： I wholeheartedly agree. So how can I do that？

Penelope： It wont be easy， but I think you can do it. If they dont want to talk about anything other than gossip， see if you can start some conversations about something else.

Sebastian： That will be hard， especially since I dont know them very well yet.

Penelope： You dont have to do it with everyone all at once. You can start one-on-one. After you get a feel for who they are， then you can start conversations about their interests.

Sebastian： Thats not a bad idea. Maybe its the group 6）dynamic thats the problem， not the individuals.

Penelope： Almost certainly！ Hey， its time for me to go. Good luck， and let me know how it goes！

Sebastian： Sure thing！ See you later！

佩内洛普：嘿，塞巴斯蒂安！很高兴看到你活得好好的！

塞巴斯蒂安：嗨，佩内洛普。你这是什么意思？

佩内洛普：很高兴你的新工作没把你搞垮。你最近都不知所踪，所以我们猜想新公司让你忙得焦头烂额。

塞巴斯蒂安：好吧，是有点。但是我还活得好好的；事情还在我掌控之中！

佩内洛普：这就对了！那么，新公司怎么样？新老板是个压榨机吗？

塞巴斯蒂安：她不是。她对工作的方式很放宽，只要每个人都能在截止日期前完成工作就行。

佩内洛普：那她听起来挺人性化的。如果不是她的问题，那肯定是工作压力把你弄垮了。他们马上就让你接手一大堆的项目吗？

塞巴斯蒂安：没有。他们让我着手一些小的项目，所以我可以真正轻松地进入新环境。

佩内洛普：那我就不明白了。你为什么还为新工作而烦恼呢？

塞巴斯蒂安：其实根本与工作无关。我一直在想如何才能融入到我的新同事当中去。

佩内洛普：我真的没想到！你是那么欢乐的一个人，很难想象你不能融入他们。

塞巴斯蒂安：这从前不是个问题，但是这个办公室的氛围跟我上一家公司的不同。他们会更消极些。

佩内洛普：我很惊讶。据你所说，你的工作环境看起来很放松，为什么会有消极的氛围呢？

塞巴斯蒂安：我不认为他们是坏人，只是他们很多人都喜欢八卦。

佩内洛普：你的意思是，他们喜欢在别人背后说闲话？

塞巴斯蒂安：对。同事、客户甚至老板。他们每次都在抽口烟的时间挑个人来挖苦。

佩内洛普：我能想象得到。……