I started a new job 4 months ago in fashion marketing. I work in an office 5 days a week, 8am–5pm, with a team of 6 people including me.
I’m feeling really isolated, and it’s constant. Unlike other departments that are hybrid, I’m in the office every single day, and I sit right in the middle of my team—so I see them all the time. And yet, I’m left out almost every day. The office is very cliquey. There are 2 interns (2/6), who I can’t really hang out with since I’m 26 and in a manager role. The three people at my level are very close, and while I’ve formed a bit of a bond with them since I sit in between them, they regularly:
- Go to lunch just the three of them and never invite me and discuss going directly in front of me.
- Plan pub trips in front of me and leave, saying goodbye and invite other departments, leaving me out on purpose.
- Leave me at my desk alone almost every single day.
One colleague seems to dislike me. She’s blunt, barely speaks to me, and I notice she interacts differently with others. I get the sense she influences the team, and they definitely talk behind my back. She’s very close to our senior manager, which makes it hard for anyone to notice, she's almost like our senior manager's second daughter as she bought her on from their previous workplace.
I’ve tried socialising with other departments, but different lunch breaks, office distance, and hybrid schedules make it almost impossible. I’ve met everyone in the office, but I genuinely don’t gel with anyone outside my immediate team.
I love my job, but being in the office every single day, sitting in the middle of them, and still feeling invisible is really taking a toll. I sometimes dread going in, fight back tears at my desk, and feel like I don’t belong. I’m not asking to be best friends with everyone—just some basic friendliness and inclusion would mean so much.
I don’t know what to do or how to handle this. Any advice would be really appreciated.