Whether you’re joining a new company or if you’ve been at the same one for years, there are certain things you should keep in mind when interacting with your peers. Here are 8 things you shouldn’t do at work.
- Gossip: It happens at every job, has been happening and will keep happening. Whether at the water cooler or via instant messaging, he-said she-said always gets around the office. It can backfire on you in no time. Instead, distance yourself from the people who are constantly spreading someone’s business (truth or lies), and keep your personal information to yourself to avoid getting involved.
- Micro-manage: Micro-managing is not fun. As adults, you should be able to trust someone to do their job. Constantly checking in, giving instructions, and always being around can actually decrease performance instead of increasing it. In the beginning, of course, training is necessary. However, if your employee has proven that they can be trusted, give them the opportunity to do things by his or herself.
- Hover: One of my biggest pet peeves when I’m working is when people hover. I don’t like for people to read over my shoulder or stick around when I’m on the phone. It’s very awkward and it can be interpreted as rude. Instead of just sticking around, you can leave a note or just ask someone to come see you when they’re done. Hanging around and hovering can make people uneasy and seems as if you’re rushing them.
- Stay on social networks all day: Facebook has killed productivity in the workplace. Whether it’s stalking exes, catching up with friends or family, or working on your farms and mafias, we can spend a little too much time on social networks. Twitter is another time sink. Don’t forget you’re at work, meaning you have work to do! Your zombies can wait, and so can your followers. Save your social networking for your breaks and do it on your own time. You’re not getting paid to tweet (unless you have a job like I had as a Social Media Coordinator).
- Come in tardy constantly: Little is more distracting than when someone is constantly late to work. It’s understandable if you come in late occasionally. You can’t control traffic, maybe the kids were slow to get ready for school, and sometimes we simply oversleep. However, someone who is regularly tardy has no regard for the importance of their job. If you’re really having trouble getting to work on time, make arrangements to either change your shifts or work on whatever it is that’s making you late.
- Reply all: Reply all is probably one of the worst things you can do at your job. Some people send messages meant for just one person and it ends up arriving in the inbox of all of your coworkers. I’ve seen this happen and had to silently laugh to myself. I’ve seen it where it was relatively harmless (just annoying), and I’ve seen it where someone was being talked about, and tension was very thick at work afterwards. Be sure to double and triple check that you’re simply hitting “reply” and responding to one person.
- Take things personally: At my last job, the office culture was based around the principles in the book The 4 Agreements. One of the agreements is to not take things personally. I think this should be a universal agreement at all job sites. When people mix business with personal things, nothing good is achieved. When someone is criticizing your work, do not feel as if they are attacking your personal character. Take it as constructive criticism and move on. Don’t take work problems back home.
- Handle personal business: You may be at work for the majority of your day, but it’s not the place to handle your personal business. This means you shouldn’t be holding personal conversations, scheduling appointments, having arguments, etc. If you absolutely need to handle personal business, you should make arrangements to take care of it during your breaks. If that’s not enough time, talk to your supervisor about handling emergencies. Just don’t make it a habit.
What are some other things you shouldn’t do at work?
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Great list – my favorite is social networks. It’s so true. It’s amazing when I go in and find my boss playing solitaire (but i pretend not to notice, of course)
Corey @ Passive Income to Retire´s last [type] ..Passive Investment – What is it?
At a previous job, all the office lights were connected to motion sensors and the lights would go out if they didn’t detect any movement for 15 minutes or so. The guy in the office right near my cubicle was the kind of guy where you wondered what the hell he did all day. When he sat at his desk you could see him, but he kept his monitor high and you couldn’t see his face. Well a couple of times we noticed the lights went out while he was sitting there which means he didn’t move a muscle for at least 15 minutes!
Swear. I’m definitely guilty of this. However, the amount and frequency of others is really shocking sometimes.
I read this on the subway and loved it.
Facebook is probably one of the biggest timesucks out there. If it’s the secretary can’t blame her, but gotta wonder if it’s other employees. Though you gotta ask why the employee has so much free time — lack of initiative or lack of business?
Invest It Wisely´s last [type] ..5 Signs You May Be Trapped in a Dead-End Job
I used to think gossip was a real waste of time at work, but a smart management team can use it – to get feedback on happenings and to feed it ideas to see how they are received.
The rumor circuit is usually pretty darn accurate about company happenings.
Marie at FamilyMoneyValues´s last [type] ..Settling an Estate – Learn How to Make Your Job Easier
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