As our daily work routines become the norm, we develop habits that help us progress through the day. Many of these habits are beneficial to our work but some can be detrimental and often we may not be aware of, or do little to correct them. This in time can have a negative effect on our experience of work, lessen the possibilities for career development, and can even risk our employment.
1. Poor Planning
Poor or lack of planning will result in disorganized working patterns. This can lead to missed deadlines, incomplete work and can create unnecessary stress. Simple measures such as planning a schedule for outstanding work in order of priority will create more efficient, productive and less stressful working conditions.
2. Putting Personal Life Before Work
At times we all have to take time off work for unavoidable personal appointments that occur during working hours, and the occasional personal phone call or time spent on social media is overlooked by most employers. However, this can easily develop into a bad habit if liberties are taken with excessive requests for time off or long hours on the phone or online pursuing non related interests.
3. Poor time keeping
Poor time keeping is a common habit, and one which can be hard to break once the pattern of behavior has become ingrained. Being late for work, turning up to meetings once they’ve started or submitting work after the deadline are all examples of poor time keeping that won’t impress your employer.
4. Rude and Inconsiderate Behavior
Familiarity can breed contempt, or at least a lack of respect and etiquette, when working with the same people day after day. Remembering that the people you spend time with are first and foremost your colleagues, and by keeping professional boundaries, you can maintain a level of respect for others that you would expect to receive yourself.
5. Being Too Engaged in Office Politics
It can be healthy to have an awareness of current affairs within the company you work for, and having a discussion about circumstances relevant to your work can help you feel like an intrinsic part of the team. Care needs to be taken that this doesn’t become a bad habit of persistent gossiping and talking in negative terms, which can be damaging for morale and creates an unpleasant working environment, particularly for the person or persons who are the subject of the gossip.
6. Being Set in Your Ways
It’s far too easy to get stuck in your ways if you’ve been in a job for a while and although you may be content being in this comfort zone, your inflexible manner will make it harder for you to adapt if necessary or compulsory changes to your job occur. Being inflexible in your work is not a quality any employer would wish from their staff, which could result in you being overlooked for promotion or even worse, one of the first on the list if redundancies have to be made.
Breaks are an essential part of the working week. Breaks do have to be missed from time to time, for example in order to meet a deadline, but if it becomes a regular occurrence your work and health can suffer. Breaks are there to give your mind and body a rest so that you can work at your efficient best without it having an impact on your well-being.
Bio: Jen Smith is a Life Coach & Writer. She has tried many career paths herself and now helps people achieve their goals and dreams.
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