The 7 Unwritten Rules Every Employee Should Know
If you’ve ever worked in a corporation, you already know the drill: policies, procedures, regulations, compliance modules that somehow always require “just one more acknowledgment.” Most of it is neatly documented and easy to find: employee handbooks, codes of ethics, onboarding portals that haven’t been updated since 2014…you get the idea.
But here’s the real secret: the written rules are only half the story. The unwritten rules, the ones no one tells you about but everyone expects you to magically know, often matter just as much, if not more, depending on the situation you find yourself in.
After spending 17 years navigating Corporate America, dodging political landmines (and stepping on some), and learning a few lessons the hard way, I’ve pulled together my top seven unwritten rules that EVERY employee should understand. Consider this your insider guide to avoiding the pitfalls you never saw coming.
1. Your Work Matters — But Your Relationships Matter More
People like working with people they actually like. It’s a simple concept, but it gets lost quickly when everyone’s buried under deadlines, deliverables, and back‑to‑back meetings. Think about it: would you rather partner with someone who’s polite, professional, respectful, and consistently delivers solid B+ work? Or the person who’s rude, dismissive, and a little bit narcissistic, but squeezes out an A+ at everyone else’s expense?
And yes, I know that second category gets promoted all the time. We’ve all seen it. But here’s the catch: they almost always hit a ceiling. Once you develop a reputation as “the person no one wants to work with,” you might as well have the scarlet letter printed on your badge.
Performance gets you noticed, but relationships get you promoted. People promote people they trust, not just people who deliver.
2. Perception is Reality — Even When It’s Wrong
We’ve all seen it, and if we’re being honest, we’ve all done it. Judging someone based on what they said, or what they didn’t say. Judging someone based on what they’re wearing on a virtual call… or the classic move: leaving your camera off when everyone else is on. Like it or not, you’re always communicating, even when you’re silent.
Your professional brand isn’t built by your intentions; it’s built by how people interpret you when you’re not in the room. And if you don’t take the time to shape that narrative, someone else will happily do it for you.
3. Document Everything — Future You Will Thank You
This is one of those rules I genuinely wish wasn’t true… but here we are. Not everyone plays by the same moral code, and in corporate life, “trust but verify” quickly becomes “verify, then verify again.” Like it or not, if it’s not written down, it didn’t happen.
That includes meetings. If key decisions are made, they must be documented. A verbal decision is only as good as the paper it’s written on. A simple follow‑up email to the decision‑makers or stakeholders — summarizing what was discussed, what was decided, and asking for confirmation — is not only acceptable, it’s smart. And if someone refuses to confirm a decision in writing, that’s a red flag you should never ignore.
If someone sends you a nasty email and you do the responsible thing - type out a knockout response, take a deep breath, and delete it to protect your job - great. But save their email. If the behavior becomes a pattern and you eventually decide to loop in your manager, Ethics, or HR, you’re going to need receipts. Otherwise, it turns into a classic “he said, she said” situation that rarely goes anywhere.
The same goes for job offers, salary details, relocation promises, or any compensation commitments. If a moving expense gets rejected, it’s a much easier conversation when you can pull up the documentation that shows the company agreed to cover it.
Documentation is your insurance policy in Corporate America. Use it.
4. Ask for What You Want — No One Is Coming to Tap You on the Shoulder
This is one of those “adulting lessons” no one teaches you in school, but it hits hard once you’re in the workforce: YOU are in charge of your career. No one in Corporate America has your best interests top of mind, and no one is coming to rescue you from a stalled promotion cycle. Even the best managers aren’t mind readers.
Opportunities rarely fall into laps, they’re requested, negotiated, or created. Closed mouths don’t get promoted. Keep the communication lines open with your manager, be clear about what you want, and follow up when needed. And if you consistently get radio silence or empty promises, that’s usually a sign it might be time to explore other options.
5. Your Manager Is Your Most Important Stakeholder
When you have a great manager, everything feels pretty straightforward. But if I had to guess, most of us have had more bad managers than good ones throughout our careers. You don’t have to like them, but you do need to understand how to work with them. If you’re constantly at odds with your boss, chances are they’re not exactly singing your praises in rooms you’re not invited to.
And as I mentioned in Rule #2, perception travels upward. If your manager is painting a picture of you to their boss, and their boss’s boss, that doesn’t match who you really are, you’re toast before you even know the conversation happened.
Now, why should you tolerate a bad manager? That part is up to you. You can absolutely choose to find another job, or you can learn how to adapt and navigate the situation strategically.
Managing up isn’t sucking up, it’s strategic alignment. It’s understanding how to work with your manager so you can keep your career moving forward, even when they’re not exactly Manager of the Year.
6. Meetings Are Where Decisions Appear to Happen — But the Real Work Happens Before
We’ve all seen them, the meeting before the meeting. And yes, on the surface it feels like a complete waste of time. But here’s the truth no one likes to admit: this is where the real decisions usually get made. Most leaders don’t want to ask the “basic” questions in front of their peers. They want to look informed, confident, and ready to contribute.
Giving them space to get up to speed, ask their questions, and talk through the topic before the big meeting allows them to feel bought in. And once they’re bought in, they often become your biggest advocates, especially when someone tries to throw an unexpected curveball in the main room. It might feel like double the work, but pre‑alignment is the secret weapon of high performers in Corporate America.
The meeting is the performance; the prep is the rehearsal. If you’re surprising people in the meeting, you’re already behind.
7. Protect Your Energy — Burnout Doesn’t Earn You a Medal
You usually don’t learn this one until you’ve hit some level of burnout, sometimes mild, sometimes the “why am I answering emails at 11 p.m.?” variety. It’s especially tough for the high achievers, the grinders, the people who say yes to every extra task because deep down you’re convinced it’ll earn you that top performance rating or bonus. In reality, the only thing you’re earning is a front‑row seat to more stress.
Here’s the truth: sustainable performance beats heroic exhaustion every time. You can’t pour from an empty cup, and corporate isn’t going to refill it for you. And yes, the old saying is true, good work often gets rewarded with… more work.
That’s why setting boundaries and learning how to say no without feeling guilty is a real skill set. Your career is a marathon, not a sprint, and pacing yourself is part of the job description, even if no one ever wrote it down.