Community at Work: How to Build Connections in Serbian Companies Without Sliding Into Cliques

Why this matters right now

According to Gallup, in 2024 only 21% of employees worldwide were engaged at work, and 22% often felt lonely literally “yesterday.” That says a lot about the environment people are working in.

At the same time, Microsoft’s research shows that remote and hybrid setups can easily “dry out” connections: fewer interactions across groups, fewer new relationships, and more life happening inside a small, familiar circle.

Here’s the good news: “weak ties” (people from neighboring teams, folks you meet at events, friends of friends) more often help you land a new job than a tight inner circle. A large LinkedIn experiment backs this up.

The takeaway is simple: relationships at work are a resource. And yes, you can build them without cliques.

Community vs cliques: how to tell in 30 seconds

Community:

• brings people together around tasks, knowledge, and shared interests
• is open, you can join without an “invitation from the seniors”
• keeps decisions and important agreements in shared channels

Cliques:

• split people into “us” and “them” (often by language, country, department, or friendships)
• move information through private circles
• leave newcomers to learn about decisions after the fact
• stay polite, but don’t really include you

Your goal isn’t to “break the cliques.” Your goal is to build bridges and keep your footing.

How not to get stuck in a your language-speaking bubble

Your language-speaking circle is a totally normal starting point, especially when you’ve just moved. The problem starts when it becomes your only floor.

What you can do to avoid getting stuck:

• Use a 70/30 rule for the first two months: 70% of communication where you feel safe, 30% where it’s useful. Then gradually flip the ratio.
• Look for “weak ties” inside the company: people from adjacent teams, the office manager, HR, QA, analysts, support. They usually know how things actually work.
• Subscribe to internal newsletters and channels in Serbian. Even if you read slowly for now, it’s a fast way to stop living in a vacuum.
• Don’t turn your language-speaking chats into HQ. Let them be a support zone, not the place where work decisions are made and coalitions form.
• Build a habit of messaging one person outside your circle once a week (short, but on point). For example: “Hey, I saw your project. Could I grab 10 minutes to understand how you’re doing it?” This isn’t a game of collecting connections. It’s basic setup for the environment around you.

How to integrate into a local team in Serbia

In Serbia, people really value human connection and calm, straightforward communication. At the same time, they don’t love it when “everything gets decided behind closed doors.”

Three things to lean on:

• Context. First, watch how things are done: who speaks in meetings, how feedback is delivered, how formal communication is, how quickly people switch to first names, what topics come up in small talk.
• Language as a sign of respect. You don’t need perfect Serbian. Micro-level is enough: thank you, hi, sorry, can I. It breaks the ice faster than any corporate training.
• Visible contributions. If you want to become “one of us,” do things that help the team and capture them in shared channels: a short recap, notes, a useful link, a checklist.

Side chats: a powerful tool if you manage it, not the other way around

There are three types of side chats:

1. Work ones for “quick clarifications”
2. Social ones (memes, coffee, hobbies)
3. Political ones (everyone decides how they feel about those)

How to use them safely:

• Don’t discuss decisions and agreements in DMs. If something important happens there, bring it back to the shared channel in one message.
• If you’re added to a “closed chat for insiders,” ask yourself: is it about hobbies or about power? If it’s about power, keep your distance.
• Create your own micro-channels that unite rather than exclude: a tiny book club, running, board games, “lunch spot swaps,” etc. The easier it is to join, the less cliquey it gets.

Offline activities: you don’t have to party, you just have to show up

Offline works really well in Serbia, because trust often builds faster face to face.

How to use that for yourself:

• Pick one recurring action. For example, lunch once a week with different people, no obligations attached.
• Show up to team things at least sometimes. You don’t need to be the life of the party. Being a visible person is enough.
• Set a goal not to “make friends,” but to “become understandable”: who you are, what you do, what you’re into, and how you can help.

Events and external communities: getting out of the bubble without forcing yourself

If you want to integrate into the market and local teams faster, external events are an accelerator.

How to attend in a way that actually works:

• Choose events with a mix of local and international people (professional meetups, conferences, role-based communities).
• Go with one goal: two contacts and one insight. That’s it.
• Send a follow-up the same day. Short: “Nice meeting you, thanks for the thought on X, I’d love to continue…”

And yes, “weak ties” often bring the most unexpected opportunities.

Red flags of cliques in a company to notice during probation

• It’s hard to understand where decisions are made
• You’re not added to key channels, and nobody explains what’s happening where
• Jokes and inside references only make sense to “the old guard”
• Feedback travels as “tell them this,” instead of direct communication
• The wins of “insiders” are visible, but others’ wins aren’t

Conclusion

Your task isn’t to “fit in at any cost,” and it isn’t to “stick to your own.” Your task is to build a contact network: a few close people for support, and many weak ties for growth. Community makes you stronger. Cliques make you dependent.