Everyone’s office has that one person who just doesn’t seem to play nicely with others.
Most of us worry about making big blunders at work, but it’s often subtle habits or behaviours that are the most damaging to our reputations. Some people learn the hard way and others never quite get the lesson.
Dr Travis Bradberry, President at TalentSmart, weighed in on this, and listed five habits to avoid at work.
“Backstabbing. The name says it all. Stabbing your colleagues in the back, intentionally or otherwise, is a huge source of strife in the workplace,” wrote Bradberry. “One of the most frequent forms of backstabbing is going over someone’s head to solve a problem. People typically do this in an attempt to avoid conflict, but they end up creating even more conflict as soon as the victim feels the blade.”
“Gossiping. People make themselves look terrible when they get carried away with gossiping about other people,” he wrote. “Wallowing in talk of other people’s misdeeds or misfortunes may end up hurting their feelings if the gossip finds its way to them, but gossiping will make you look negative and spiteful every time, guaranteed.”
“Announcing that you hate your job. The last thing anyone wants to hear at work is someone complaining about how much they hate their job. Doing so labels you as a negative person and brings down the morale of the group,” Bradberry wrote. “Bosses are quick to catch on to naysayers who drag down morale, and they know that there are always enthusiastic replacements waiting just around the corner.”
“Eating smelly food. Unless you happen to work on a ship, your colleagues are going to mind if you make the entire place smell like day-old fish. The general rule of thumb when it comes to food at work is, anything with an odor that might waft beyond the kitchen door should be left at home,” Bradberry offered.
“Telling lies. So many lies begin with good intentions — people want to protect themselves or someone else — but lies have a tendency to grow and spread until they’re discovered, and once everyone knows that you’ve lied, there’s no taking it back,” Bradberry wrote.
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