Most of us aim not to be rude in the workplace, but sometimes the line is thin between adorable quirkiness and just plain annoying. Here are some behaviors to avoid.
Here are ten of the rudest behaviors I have witnessed in the workplace.
1. Gossiping
Gossip
is never a good quality, no matter where you are. But when you're in
the workplace the chances of not being able to escape the hurt you've
caused others is a potential job-killer. Gossip has the added bonus of
possibly causing those you're gossiping about to eject themselves from
the workplace. You do not want to be looked at as the one to have driven
employees away – especially by management. When this happens, you run
the risk of losing your job and looking petty and insecure. Avoid
starting, perpetuating, or generally engaging in this behavior.
2. Being a slob
Expecting
maid service is never an option. You are an adult; when you make a
mess, you clean it up. This should be the case from the top employee to
the bottom. Even if your company has a clean up service, it is not their
job to be your personal maid or butler. Clean up service is there to
clean the office – not your personal trash. When you leave your mess for
others, it's a slap in the face to anyone who actually bothers to clean
up behind themselves. Do not disrespect your fellow employees (on any
level) by assuming you are above picking up trash or tidying up after
yourself.
3. Announcing your victories
I've worked
with several people who made it known to everyone around them when they
solved a problem. Everything from shouting to doing their own special
victory dance. This not only gets annoying, it can serve as an
unpleasant reminder of when your co-workers aren't as successful as you.
Have a modicum of respect and keep your victory dances and celebratory
high-fives to yourself.
4. Being a snob
Cliques
should remain in high school – and even then they should be avoided.
When you're in the workplace, being a part of a clique does two things:
It separates teams and makes those participating look childish. The
workplace is already stressful enough – adding to that stress by making
others feel like outcasts is more damaging than you might expect.
5. Aggressive typing
How
many people have you worked with that seemed to have bionic fingers?
That incessant TAP TAP TAP on the keys eventually turns into the sound
of hatred. If you are one of those ham-fingered typists, do yourself
(and everyone around you) a favor and purchase a silent (or at least
quieter) keyboard. Not only will keep from annoying your fellow workers,
you won't sound like every character was typed with rage.
6. Being a glory-stealer
Taking
credit for others' work or ideas should never happen...yet it does.
We're adults, we work hard to attain whatever modicum of success we can
and a win in the workplace is a much-needed notch in the belt. When you
steal those wins from others, you are not only disrespecting them, you
run the risk of the powers-that-be finding out and turning that
behavioral tide back on you. Though you may not lose your job the first
time this happens...the second or third time around, you may not be so
lucky.
7. Abusing trust
Misuse of
privileges happens more than you would imagine. I've witnessed it first
hand – people using company cars for illicit behavior, using lunch hours
to moonlight, enlisting assistants to do your dirty work (such as
laundry), not working when telecommuting – the list goes on and on.
Here's the thing about privileges – they can easily be taken away. This
is often the case when those privileges are misused.
8. Smelling like an old ash tray
Smoking
in non-smoking areas might seem like chump-change when compared to
other poor behaviors, but it deserves to be listed. There are reasons
why the smoking debate lasted for so long – but, in the end, it came
down on the side of good health. Respect those around you who do not
smoke and who may have asthma or severe allergies. And while you're at
it...don't abuse the “smoke break” privilege. You can't chain smoke
while at work and get anything done. Limit those breaks and save your
lungs.
9. Being a smartphone junkie
Using
smartphones when not appropriate is not something you want to turn into a
habit. This is especially true when in meetings. It's easy to seem like
you're taking notes with your smartphone, but the truth is you are
probably updating your Facebook status. Do the right thing and just
leave the smartphone out of the meeting room. And if you have someone in
your office to discuss a matter of importance, do not have your head
buried in your phone or tablet at the same time.
10. Being late all the time
In some
cases this is grounds for termination, but often it's just the annoying
habit of being a few minutes late for every meeting, presentation, or
carpool. When I was in graduate school, a director I worked with had a
harsh stance on actors being late. If there were ten actors in the cast
and one was five minutes late, he considered that five minutes of each
actors time wasted – so everyone would have to stay late to make up for
that missed time. In the case of the example – we'd wind up staying
fifty minutes after the normal end of rehearsal. That's harsh, but
understandable. When you are late you are not just wasting your time,
but the time of anyone who depends upon you at your place of work. This
could mean fellow co-workers, clients, bosses...anyone.
We
spend a lot of time at the workplace. There's no reason why that time
should be spent displaying any of the listed behaviors. You want to be
someone everyone wants to work with, not avoid. If you can stop and
consider how your behavior affects others – you should easily avoid
making any of these mistakes.
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