Questions · New coworker
Questions to ask a new coworker so the first weeks feel less lonely
Questions for the new person on your team, from a peer, not the boss: easy ones for their first coffee, a few about where they came from, and the ones that tell you how to actually help.
- 17 questions
- EN + TL on every card
- Free in the app
Kumustahan is a bilingual conversation card app: 1,200 questions in English and Filipino across 7 decks, with a short reflection on the back of every card.
Who taught you a work or school habit you still use, and what was it?
Sino yung nagturo sa'yo ng work o school habit na gamit mo pa rin, at ano yun?
Some habits come from people who modeled them first. Their way of doing things can quietly become part of yours.
May habits na galing sa taong nauna lang magpakita. Tahimik mong nadadala yung style nila hanggang maging part na rin ng style mo.
The questions
17 questions to ask a new coworker
Every question in English and Filipino/Tagalog, word for word from the Kumustahan decks. Open “Back of the card” for the reflection printed on the other side.
Their first coffee run
5 questions
Light enough for day one, when everything else is a lot.
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If someone were choosing a snack or drink for you, what’s one choice that would almost always work?
Kung may pipili ng snack o drink para sa'yo, ano yung halos laging okay sa'yo?
Back of the card
Tiny preferences can be an easy way to know someone better. It feels good when people remember the simple things.
Minsan sa small preferences tayo mas nakikilala. Nakakatuwa rin kapag may nakakaalala ng simple things about you.
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Name the small thing you always bring, even for a quick errand.
Sabihin yung small thing na lagi mong dala kahit quick errand lang.
Back of the card
The thing you always bring has earned its place. It may be small, but it clearly passed the trust test.
Yung lagi mong dala, may reason yan. Maliit lang siya, pero clearly pasado sa trust test.
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Would you rather always arrive twenty minutes early or exactly on time?
Mas gusto mo bang laging dumating nang twenty minutes early o laging sakto sa oras?
Back of the card
Finish if you like: "While everyone else is getting ready, I..."
Kung gusto mo, ituloy: "Habang naghahanda pa ang iba, ako..."
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Before leaving the house, what do you always check?
Bago umalis ng bahay, ano yung lagi mong chine-check?
Back of the card
Small checks are tiny protection from future hassle. Everyone has one thing they refuse to leave up to memory.
Maliit lang yung check, pero nakakaiwas sa future hassle. Lahat tayo may isang bagay na hindi pwedeng memory lang.
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Would you rather know the exact weather or the exact traffic before leaving home?
Bago umalis, alin ang gusto mong siguradong alam: lagay ng panahon o lagay ng traffic?
Back of the card
Imagine you check before a day out. What would you pack differently?
Isipin na nag-check ka bago ang lakad. Ano ang iibahin mo sa mga dadalhin mo?
Where they came from
4 questions
Their last job, their old habits, the people who trained them.
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Who taught you a work or school habit you still use, and what was it?
Sino yung nagturo sa'yo ng work o school habit na gamit mo pa rin, at ano yun?
Back of the card
Some habits come from people who modeled them first. Their way of doing things can quietly become part of yours.
May habits na galing sa taong nauna lang magpakita. Tahimik mong nadadala yung style nila hanggang maging part na rin ng style mo.
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What useful skill did someone patiently teach you?
Anong kasanayan ang matiyagang itinuro sa'yo ng isang tao?
Back of the card
Imagine you are teaching the skill now. What would you show a beginner first?
Isipin na ikaw naman ang nagtuturo nito. Ano ang una mong ipapakita sa baguhan?
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Who taught you a useful skill or habit you still use in daily life?
Sino yung nagturo sa'yo ng useful skill o habit na gamit mo pa rin sa daily life?
Back of the card
Practical lessons are easy to overlook, but they stay close. They show up in the small ways you move through a day.
Madaling ma-overlook ang practical lessons, pero dala-dala mo pala. Lumalabas sila sa maliliit mong galaw araw-araw.
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Share the first time you did something on your own and felt more capable afterward.
Ikuwento ang unang beses mong gumawa ng isang bagay mag-isa at naisip mong, "Kaya ko pala."
Back of the card
Finish if you like: "That was when I realized I could..."
Kung gusto mo, ituloy: "Doon ko naisip na kaya ko palang..."
What would help them settle in
4 questions
Ask in week two, once the logins work.
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What helped you feel welcome in a new place?
Ano ang nakatulong para maramdaman mong welcome ka sa isang bagong lugar?
Back of the card
Would you do something similar for someone new? You can also leave it as a good memory.
Gagawin mo rin ba iyon para sa bagong dating? Puwede ring magandang alaala na lang muna ito.
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When you meet a new friend or group, how do you usually get comfortable?
Kapag may bago kang friend o group, paano ka usually nagiging comfortable?
Back of the card
People warm up at different speeds. Some start with jokes, some with listening, some by quietly showing up again.
Iba-iba ang pace ng pag-warm up. May dumadaan sa jokes, may sa pakikinig, at may tahimik lang na bumabalik ulit.
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What small things make a room feel welcoming to you?
Anong maliliit na bagay ang nagpaparamdam sa'yo na welcome ka sa isang room?
Back of the card
Welcome can come from tone, space, food, faces, or small signals that say you do not have to prove yourself.
Puwedeng galing sa tono, space, pagkain, mukha ng tao, o maliliit na sign na hindi mo kailangang patunayan ang sarili mo.
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When joining a conversation, what helps you feel comfortable enough to take part?
Ano ang tumutulong para maging komportable kang sumali sa kuwentuhan?
Back of the card
You can invent a first line you would enjoy hearing when you join.
Puwede kang gumawa ng unang linyang gusto mong marinig kapag nakisali ka.
Small things worth remembering
4 questions
The details that make someone feel known by Friday.
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Complete the line: I'm chill, but please don't ___.
Kumpletuhin: Chill naman ako, pero please wag ___.
Back of the card
Tiny pet peeves are usually harmless, but they still deserve their moment. Everyone has a small line somewhere.
Harmless lang ang tiny pet peeves, pero deserve din nila ng moment. Lahat tayo may small line somewhere.
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Name one harmless opinion you take seriously, like food, movies, habits, or small preferences.
Magbanggit ng isang harmless opinion na seryoso ka, like food, movies, habits, o small preferences.
Back of the card
Harmless opinions are a safe place to be dramatic. The stakes are low, but the conviction can still be strong.
Safe maging dramatic sa harmless opinions. Low stakes lang, pero pwedeng strong pa rin ang conviction.
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Pick one small mood upgrade, like a drink, song, scent, snack, or clean space.
Pumili ng isang small mood upgrade, like drink, song, scent, snack, o malinis na space.
Back of the card
A mood upgrade does not need to be big. Sometimes one small detail is enough to change the angle of the day.
Hindi kailangang malaki ang mood upgrade. Minsan isang small detail lang, nag-iiba na yung angle ng araw.
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Which small kindness from other people do you notice right away?
Anong small kindness mula sa ibang tao ang napapansin mo agad?
Back of the card
It could be someone checking in, saving you a seat, helping quietly, or remembering a small detail. The kindness you notice may be the kind you needed before.
Puwedeng may nag-check in, nagtira ng seat, tumulong quietly, o nakaalala ng small detail. Baka yung kindness na napapansin mo ang kind na kinailangan mo dati.
How to use them
Before you ask
A new coworker needs at least one person who asks about them, not just about their access badge. The first two weeks are logins, acronyms and people introducing themselves too fast, and most new hires eat lunch alone at least once, wondering whether they made the right move.
You don’t have to be their manager to fix that. Start with something easy on the first coffee run: what they’d usually order, what they never leave home without. Later in the week, ask where they came from. People like talking about what they were good at in their last place, and you’ll learn skills your team didn’t know it just hired.
In week two, ask what has helped them feel welcome somewhere before, and listen for something you can actually do: a standing lunch, an introduction, a quieter desk. Then hold on to the small details. Remembering the snack they mentioned on day three does more than any welcome email.
Good for
Tips
- Pair a question with something useful, like where the quiet meeting rooms are. Friendly and helpful at once.
- Don’t ask why they left their last job. Ask what they liked about it.
- Invite them to the next team lunch in person; a calendar invite alone is easy to decline.
- Introduce them to one person outside your team each week for the first month.
- Check back a week later with something casual. A follow-up from a peer means a lot.
Decks for this
New coworker
Frequently asked questions
What should you ask a new coworker?
Start light, with what they usually order or always carry, then ask where they worked before and who taught them their best habits. In the second week, ask what helps them feel welcome in a new place.
How do you make a new coworker feel welcome?
Invite them to lunch in person, introduce them to people outside your team, and remember small things they mention. A question they can answer easily is more welcoming than a long tour.
What should you not ask a new coworker?
Avoid salary, why they left their last job, age and family plans. Keep the first conversations to work style, interests and small preferences.
Bring a better question to the table.
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