Annoying Office Habits You May not Know You Have
A huge part of almost any job is getting along with and working well with others. That can be hard to do though if there is a member of staff or two that simply drives everyone else nuts. It’s easier than you might think to rub people the wrong way at work so take a look at this list and if you recognize any of these annoying traits in yourself it’s time to put a stop to them before your bad habits earn you the “office nuisance “label:
Lack of Preparation – You show up for meetings on time alright but you always seem to be missing one little piece of information, one spreadsheet or one memo that is crucial to your participation and the meeting is held up for ten minutes as you dig through your desk to find it.
This kind of behavior not only demonstrates to your coworkers that your organizational skills leave a lot to be desired but to many it may seem to be a mark that you really do not respect your coworkers time. Take an extra ten minutes (even if it means coming to work early) to make sure that when you walk into that conference room you are ready to go.
Bad Phone Etiquette – Your phone conversations are so loud that they can be heard all the way across the office and everyone knows that you have a hot date tonight/ your spouse is an idiot/ your cat has flu. People who spend too much time on personal phone calls tend to be resented by their coworkers (its wasting on the clock time) and when those details have to be shared with everyone else because you can’t keep your voice down the resentment doubles.
Keep personal calls short and sweet and if you really must leave your cellphone on (if you are allowed) put it on vibrate; you might think your latest ringtone is the best ever but everyone else might not agree.
You Love to Play the Walking Wounded – You may think that you are doing everyone in the office by dragging yourself to work with a 103 degree fever and/or a somewhat unusual rash but it is unlikely that your coworkers will agree. Instead they are likely to be locked in their offices frantically covering everything (including themselves) with Lysol spray and cursing about your sickly presence under their breath.
If you have anything more than the sniffles stay home, your coworkers will pick up the slack while you recover and they will thank you for not sharing for once.
You er..Smell
Not the “hasn’t had a shower in a month” kind of smell but the “oh my gosh did he bathe in a vat of Drakkar Noir” or the “smells like a ten year old ashtray” kind of smell. Your scent is important, especially when you’re working in a small, poorly ventilated space with lots of other people around, so be considerate of other people’s noses.
If you must smoke “air” yourself out before you come in, save the fancy cologne for date night and don’t eat boiled eggs or onions for lunch, it tends to put everyone else off theirs.
Learning to Let Go – Leaving the office Behind when you go on Vacation
Your vacation plans have been set for months and you should be as excited as a little kid at Christmas. Trouble is you are still checking your emails as the plane is taxiing and there is that nagging feeling at the back of your mind that your assistant will forget to call that client if you aren’t there to remind him.
Sound familiar? Most of us have a really hard time letting go of the office and actually enjoying the vacation we waited all year long for. Here are some really good reasons why you should make that extra effort to disengage though, since it will not only benefit you but your company as well:
Time to Recharge your Mind – Stepping away from the everyday pressures of your job you will actually find that when you return you will have a better perspective of many of the everyday issues at the office, just like you did on your very first day when everything was still shiny, exciting and new.
Let Others Step Up – if you are a supervisor chances are you got to be one because someone else once gave you the chance to step up and show the world (or the company at least) what you were really made of. Keep this in mind when you are tempted to check in with the office every fifteen minutes from the beach. Step back, sip another pina colada and let your team cope alone, they can.
Your Family will be Happier – Most of us occasionally neglect or spouse or children when back at home in favor of the office. It’s not the ideal scenario but it is hard to avoid sometimes. Don’t do it to them when you are all supposed to be on vacation though. Your vacation is a chance to atone for all those occasions when dinner was a lukewarm burger special from the drive thru and you missed the first three innings of your kid’s ballgame so take it.
Outgrown your Job Description? How to Get the Recognition You Deserve
So, you have been in your new position for a while now, you are settling in nicely but it seems that you are handling duties that go well above and beyond your original job description. The problem is that nobody – especially your boss- has seemed to notice or acknowledge all this extra effort. You are now simmering with resentment and you are determined to gain some of the recognition you deserve, preferably with a new title and a raise. But what is the best way to go about doing so? Some advice:
Make a List – Before you do anything else make a list of all the extra responsibilities you have taken on and all the time that you are putting in on these new projects. Perhaps you have begun orientating new employees and that is taking up a certain amount of your time every week now. Calculate how much time that is exactly and note it down. You should also get down on paper the amount of time you spend performing the tasks you were originally hired to do.
Invent Your New title – Have a second look at your list of extra responsibilities. Does it look similar to that of a fellow employee who has a “higher” title than the one you have? If so, you should note that down too. If you do not see anybody else with remotely the same responsibilities as you currently have invent a title that you think might be appropriate to more accurately describe your real roll in the company.
A Word about Money – A new title is great, but with it should come a new salary structure as well. Have a look at a few job classifieds or salary comparison websites . How much more does your desired new title make you worth?
Taking it to the Top – Once all of this preparation is complete the time has to come to request a formal meeting with your boss to discuss it all. Let her know in advance what you propose to discuss so that she can allot you a reasonable amount of her time instead of fitting you in between phone calls.
In the end it is up to you, and you alone to look out for yourself at work and take the initiative to ask for the recognition you deserve. Chances are that your boss may be so busy herself she has barely had time to notice how far your job duties have expanded. Present your case in a clear, calm manner and you should stand a great chance of getting what you want.
Handling Life in a Dysfunctional Office
What may look very funny at Dunder Mifflin in “The Office” may not be so amusing in the real world. There are ways to deal with life in a less than perfect office without losing your mind though. A few suggestions:
Remain Focused – Focusing your energies on the job at hand rather than at what others around you are doing can provide an effective way of coping as well as possibly a way to advance out of the chaos. Keep working on that report even while your coworkers are headed out for their fifth smoke break of the day or are comparing notes about this weekend’s social plans. Act how you believe a professional should and your efforts will not go unnoticed.
Tune it Out – If you are in the fortunate position of being able to separate yourself and tune the office out a little take advantage of it. Have the radio on low volume at your desk or even wear an Ipod if such a thing is permitted. And if any of your coworkers comment that they think you are being rude just tell them that the music helps you concentrate.
Stay away from the Fray – maybe you should start looking at the goings on around your office as if it were a branch of Dunder Mifflin after all, and treat it like you would a TV show. Sit back as an observer and watch but do not be drawn in. Dysfunctional behavior at work increases because more and more like minded people join in. And never be tempted to return the fire of the office “ego monster” however much they bait you – this is exactly want they want you to do so do not give them the satisfaction.
Leave – In the end though in many cases the best course of action is just to move on. Some managers just never realize that they are losing all their good, talented employees by failing to control a dysfunctional work environment and however much you try to point it out you may never succeed. Save yourself the stress and find a different environment where the work ethic is more in line with your own.
A Little Friday Fun – Dealing with a Creepy Co Worker
A little Friday fun – movie time. This is a funny little piece but the advice it imparts is actually on the mark. Watch and enjoy.
Preparing for a Performance Review
Do you remember when you were a kid how you felt when report card time came around? If it was good you could possibly look forward to praise from your parents and possibly a little treat. A bad one however probably meant more than a little trouble so there were butterflies in your stomach as you handed that envelope over to Mom and Dad.
A performance review at work can bring all of those memories and feelings flooding back. A good review could set your career on fire, a bad one who knows? So it’s just like being back in high school all over again.
In the case of performance reviews though there are certain things you can do to make sure that you are prepared for your workplace review and you are ready to handle whatever comes of it.
Self-evaluation is a good tool. Critique your recent job performance as honestly as you can. Are you really putting in 100% or have you been slacking off recently? If you are honest with yourself about the way you have been working then you will probably be better equipped to handle any criticism your boss might throw your way during the review.
Handle a Sabotaging Coworker Effectively
We would all like to get along with our colleagues. It makes for a better work environment and boosts the business as well. Sadly though, this is not always the case. Office politics can be a tricky business and it is not unusual to find yourself dealing with a coworker who seems out to sabotage you rather than help. If you are faced with this situation what should you do? Some tips:
Cover yourself – Taking precautions to protect yourself against a coworker with less than good intentions is a wise move. Keep written records for yourself of the work you do and the ideas you contribute. If a nefarious office mate should try to take the credit for something you did to get ahead, or worse tries to blame you for something you did not do, you have proof to back up your protests.
Will Going Back to School Really Help your Career?
College is four of five (or maybe even twenty) years in the past now but you have been thinking about returning to school to pursue an advanced degree to boost your earning potential even further. This however is a bigger decision than you might think and there are some points you should consider before you return to the academic world:
Why – Exactly what are your motivations for returning to school? Do you want to earn more money in your current profession or change gears altogether? Either option can be a good reason for resuming your education, as long as you have thought it through. If you are pursuing an advanced degree to further your current career make sure that the program you choose will actually translate into a real job in the future. Ask the admissions counselor about previous graduates, how many of them did land the kind of position you are looking for?
Decoding Business Casual Dress Codes
Many things have changed across the business landscape of America over the last several years. The way we dress for the office is definitely one of them. For the ladies, gone are the days of the Linda Evans in Dynasty power suits with the football player shoulder pads. Guys are no longer forced into a three piece suit and tie. The phrase “business casual” is used a lot these days but what does that really mean? A few pointers:
Consider what day it is – If you are meeting with clients err on the conservative side as a mark of respect. Save the khakis for another day when you will be chained to your desk rather than in the spotlight.
Fighting Workplace Negativity
Over the last year or so a great many companies, large and small, have been forced to make some changes to keep their heads above water and ride out the recession. Unfortunately it often means inflicting a certain level of “pain” on employees. This can mean layoffs or reassigning duties, titles and tasks in order to try and keep the business on an even keel. Doing so can be a difficult balancing act for managers. The changes have to be made but you still need to keep the goodwill and loyalty of those staff that remain.
This is often where negative energy begins to creep into the work environment. It commonly displays itself in one of four ways:
- Sheer fear amongst employees that their jobs may be gone tomorrow, even this afternoon, and that fear becomes all they are focused upon.
- Employees feeling helpless because although they know how to do their jobs properly some of the resources they are used to have disappeared.
- As resources and staff are cut people on the team begin to fight with each over jobs not being done properly.
- People are unhappy in their jobs but feel they cannot leave because the poor economy limits their choices.
As a manager it is up to you to counteract this negativity so that the whole department/company/team stays together and pulls through the bad times in the best shape possible. Some tips:
