Unlock Duke’s Best-Kept Workplace Secrets

At work, people navigate “shadow norms” – unspoken rules that everyone seems to know without being told, said Elizabeth Jones, Director of Education and Outreach in Duke’s Office for Institutional Equity, who often speaks to Duke departments and teaches workshops on how to improve office communication. She describes these as implicit understandings that guide behavior. For example, showing up 10 minutes early to a meeting because it’s what everyone else does, or wearing Duke-branded clothing on Fridays.

“There are these things that feel like they're almost atmospheric,” Jones said. “Some of them we might notice, and some of them we don't.”

In the L&OD class Self Leadership: Growing Your Career & Self Awareness, Birmingham teaches employees that there is a simple way to understand what the secret tips to success might be: just ask directly.

“Don’t let them be unwritten,” Birmingham said. “Be able to say, ‘This is what I’m picking up – is this accurate, or is this just someone’s perception of what the rules are?’”

In the spirit of understanding how to best to navigate a big, complex place like Duke, Working@Duke asked staff and faculty for insider tips on success that they have found to be most helpful.

Whether you’re new to Duke or have been here a long time, some of these suggestions might help you get the most out of your Duke experience.

Learn the ‘Alphabet Soup’

Brenda Tate, an Administrative Assistant in the Fuqua School of Business, said when she first started her position, “everyone used acronyms for programs, departments, centers and events. The verbal shorthand was bewildering, and I ended up keeping a notepad to try to keep track.”

Laura Eastwood, Senior Business Systems Analyst in Foundation Relations, recommends “An ABC Guide to Duke” that deciphers all the acronyms for Duke at large. And Tate said she contributed to create an acronyms glossary just for Fuqua on the school’s Intranet called “FuquaWorld.”

“It is a searchable list available to faculty, staff and students in our school,” Tate said. “It will really help newcomers navigate the alphabet soup!”

Discover OIT’s Resources

Did you know you Duke’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) offers more than 100 software packages to staff, students and faculty for free or at a steep discount?

Jeannine Sato, a Research Communications and Engagement Specialist in Duke Clinical Research Institute, suggested OIT’s resources such as sites.duke.edu, “where you can make free personal or professional websites” and software.duke.edu for some free software programs. She also recommends the Innovation Co-Lab, which offers makerspace classes, 3D printing and laser cutting.

“OIT has a wealth of little-known resources,” Sato said. “Explore their website for more.”

Listen for the Bells

If you listen closely each day at 5 p.m. on or near West Campus, you’ll likely hear bells.

It’s the fifty-bell carillon in Duke University Chapel, and it’s played by carillonneurs like Aaron Colston who are trained in the art of the unique instrument.

“There’s a human up there,” Colston said. “It’s not a machine.”

There’s somewhat of a pattern to what is played when. Every Friday at 5 p.m., listen for “Dear Old Duke,” Duke’s alma mater. During Finals Week, keep an ear out for “The Final Countdown,” which Colston typically plays on Monday of that week.

“Sometimes you'll just hear nice sounds, but then sometimes the melody will come out and it might not be a melody you recognize, but there's some thought behind,” Colston said.

Explore the Duke Credit Union

Even if you’ve been at Duke for a while, you might not know that the Duke Credit Union is available to Duke employees, students, alumni and their family members. Jennifer Sider, Director of Marketing at the Duke Credit Union says, “Joining is simple. A minimum balance of $25 gives an employee access to savings, services and competitive loan rates.”

“Duke Credit Union was created to save Duke employees money,” Sider said. “More value means more of your Duke pay is available for the things you want to spend your money on.”

Other Quick Tips

Lillian Rodermond, Departmental Business Manager in Romance Studies says: If you work with iForms and SAP (two data and administrative platforms) things that don't look like links are, in fact, links. Click on everything! You never know what you'll find.

Emily Bilcik, Assistant Director of Sustainability and Climate Applied Learning, says: “If your role includes purchasing or event planning duties, the Office of Climate and Sustainability has guides to help you do these things more sustainably!” Check out the guides for Sustainable Events and Sustainable SWAG. Beyond events, the Green Certification program also has tips for making your Duke workplace and home office more sustainable.

Martha Olson, Administrative Specialist in Neurosciences says: “Successful Tip: I always keep a pad and pen with me to keep notes. I know we are in the computer age, but if there was an outage I would still have my important notes to rely on.”

And finally, Mark Schreiner, Public Relations Specialist in the Pratt School of Engineering, offers this sage advice: “Duke is a HUGE enterprise. Each component of the university and health system is by itself probably enormous. Systems are complex and often opaque. Don't give yourself six weeks or six months to feel comfortably knowledgeable about Duke. Give yourself a year. Or two. By setting that expectation generously, you'll help yourself maintain a healthy sense of perspective and support personal resilience.” 

Send story ideas, shout-outs and photographs by writing working@duke.edu.

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