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Let’s be realistic: the perfect employee simply doesn’t exist. We can’t all do our jobs flawlessly; we’re human and prone to error.
That being said, we’re also prone to developing some not-so-great habits at work.
Perhaps you’ve fallen into the habit of showing up just a few minutes late every day.
Or maybe you procrastinate after lunch when you hit that “afternoon slump.”
Maybe you’ve let your addiction to social media distract you at work and feel the constant, pressing urge to check your newsfeed on your phone.
Or perhaps you don’t even realize what little habits you’ve developed on the job.
Habits are like that. They’ll creep up on you and can quickly become a facet of your behavior without you even noticing.
While one bad habit isn’t likely to cost you your job immediately, bad habits can have a cumulative effect over time, which can ultimately have devastating consequences for you and your job.
Curious to know which bad habits you should be avoiding at work? Read on to learn about the top 13 worst work habits.
The top 13 worst work habits
1. Complaining. Whether it’s your professional or personal life, no one likes a negative Nancy. Being a perpetual whiner will quickly earn you a bad reputation in the office, and also put you on the management’s radar if you’re quick to complain about your job, your workload, your colleagues, your boss, or the company, as a whole.
2. Spending too much time on social media. Using social media is an addictive habit that could cost you your job if others suspect that you’re spending more time on it than on your work. Instead of checking your social media every few minutes when you’re working, set aside a few minutes at lunch or on your breaks to check it. Not only will you be able to focus more on your work, but you’ll also find that your newsfeed has a lot more juicy details and stories when you let a couple hours pass, rather than a couple minutes.
3. Badmouthing the boss (or anyone for that matter). Whether it’s that annoyingly immature colleague you have to put up with every day, or your boss that makes your life absolutely hellish, we’re all tempted to badmouth someone at work that is making our lives difficult. As challenging as it may be, resist the temptation to badmouth anyone at work, especially your boss. No matter how careful you think you’re being, or how much you think you can trust your closest friend at work, that sh*t will always come back to bite you in the a**.
4. Lying. Telling a lie, no matter how small it may be to begin with, quickly becomes a slippery slope with a terrible, often unpreventable crash. Don’t let yourself become a victim of your own lie, and make it a habit to always be transparent and honest in all of your interactions.
5. Procrastinating. We all have those days where we feel sluggish and unmotivated, but making a habit of procrastinating can lead to disastrous consequences. While you may be the type of person to wait closer until the deadline to finish up projects, you’re probably unaware of just how much you’re negatively affecting your colleagues by choosing to procrastinate. Putting off certain projects until the last minute often compromises your colleagues by forcing them to act fast and at the last minute, as well. This can quickly lead to feelings of resentment and anger between you and your team members, and you can bet the management will find out if your colleagues are unhappy with your work style.
6. Not practicing professional email etiquette. Not responding to emails, being too informal with your words, or coming off as rude or demanding in emails are all no-nos when it comes to proper email etiquette. Take the time to check and double check your emails before you hit, “Send.” Though this will take a few extra minutes out of your day, it’s definitely worth it to not only maintain a sense of professional decorum in the workplace, but also save face in the long run.
7. Perpetual tardiness. At some point or another, we all become tardy victims of situations that are well beyond our control. Maybe you got stuck in horrendous traffic one morning on your way to work, or even got in a fender bender on your lunch break. Maybe your sick child kept you home a little longer this morning. While these reasons are all valid excuses for tardiness, making tardiness a habit could definitely have some severe consequences if not checked soon enough. Consistently showing up late to work or to meetings, or even if others merely see that your desk is consistently empty when work starts for the day are all indications that you don’t take your work seriously, and that you’d rather be elsewhere than at work.
8. Being too informal with others. When we spend so much of our time at work and with our colleagues, it’s all too easy to relax our formal standards over time. While this is normal to an extent, relaxing the formalities too much can lead to a lost sense of professionalism. For example, you may be tempted to talk to your boss as if they’re your best friend, rather than your superior. Or you may think that because you’re closer with your colleagues, it’s ok to tell inappropriate jokes or talk about sensitive topics, such as politics or religion. At the end of the day though, your boss is still the authority and your friends at work are still your colleagues. Try to maintain a professional sense of decorum.
9. Taking advantage of rules that are unwritten. Just because there isn’t an explicit dress code outlined in the employee handbook doesn’t mean you should wear your distressed jeans and favorite concert tee. Similarly, there may not be an exact start and end time to the working hours at your workplace, making it easy to rationalize showing up late and leaving work early. Though rules like these may not be overtly expressed, it’s important to not take advantage of them. It may seem like no one will notice, but you can bet they will and your reputation will undoubtedly suffer, as a result.
10. Being inflexible. While you should never be too flexible to the point of compromising your values, not being flexible enough at work will make you less of a dynamic, adaptable employee. Sometimes your boss may hand you a project that seems to be well outside of the scope of the job that you were hired to do. Regardless of this fact, your boss is still your boss, and you’re still expected to do the work.
11. Stirring the pot with office politics. Office politics are largely unavoidable in the workplace. However, if you’re someone that likes to press for the juicy details, or worse, if you’re someone that instigates drama, you’ll quickly earn a negative reputation around the office, making it harder for others to trust you.
12. Avidly texting during working hours. While you may think that texting your significant other or best friend throughout the day is ok and that no one will notice how often you text, think again. Others may think that you’re procrastinating, that you’ve “checked out” at work, or that you simply don’t care about working. Instead, save the texting for breaks and lunchtime.
13. Taking way too many or too long breaks. While I’m a huge advocate of taking breaks throughout the day to reenergize, taking too many breaks can have the opposite effect, and can become more distracting than motivating. Furthermore, people are going to notice if you’re taking a break every 15 minutes, and they’ll find it hard to take you (and your work) seriously if it seems like you’re not actually working.
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