How to Lose Your Job in 10 Days; Negative workplace habits that can cost you your job

We all have our vices; some of us like to dabble in idle gossip, some of us are addicted to our cellphones, some of us are pessimists, some of us are chatty Cathy, some of us can never finish anything on time, while some of us lack punctuality. While all these habits don’t make you a bad person, they can definitely cost you your job! let’s take a look at a couple of bad work habits which may land you in hot waters.

Procrastination

This habit may not seem harmful when you are putting you away personal chores, but it can seriously cost you your career. If you are someone who puts off tasks and assignments until the last minute or if you believe that you are at your most productive when you work during the last-hour rush, you are going to land yourself in hot water with your co-workers.

You may be ok with rushing things an hour before deadline, but if your work depends on others, they will also need to work quickly to keep pace. Not to mention, you will always be the first one to blame if a project falls through or a deadline is missed. Not only will you be consistently looked over for a promotion, this habit can cost you your job as well. Only solution: Beat procrastination for a productive career!

Showing up late to work

Punctuality is critical in a workplace setting.  You can’t stumble into work after everybody has already settled in and cause disturbance. Constantly showing up late to work displays an attitude of complacency and carelessness and shows that you don’t care about your job. Arriving late to work also shows disrespect to those who do make an effort to arrive on time. The professional thing to do is to arrive on time, with a plan on how to tackle the day ahead. It’s not like they just sprung this job on you. Even science says that the first half hour of the workday is the most productive. Use this time to deal with the most pressing matters at work instead of being stuck in traffic.

Being negative all the time

A pessimistic or contrary attitude can get you labeled as uncooperative. Constantly replying to suggestions with phrases such as “This doesn’t sound right,” “This won’t work,” or, “I can’t work with this,” can make you come across as extremely negative and disparaging. Similarly, people shy away from colleagues who complain and whine about everything.

While engaging in healthy workplace discussions with colleagues can be a stress reliever, don’t launch into a tirade of complaints about your boss, your workload, your co-workers. Doing so will cast you into a negative light.

There are people who start complaining about each and everything from the moment they walk into work. Before long, people will look for way to avoid them. After all, it can be rather exhausting to listen to a pessimistic coworker and their negativity can also dampen your spirit. No workplace is perfect, but try to focus your energy towards what you can do to improve your situation.

Negative employees are seen as ‘cancerous’ by upper management for good reason: they will eventually be cut out. In a survey, more than half the employers interviewed said that they were less likely to promote employees who have a negative or pessimistic attitude.

Don’t be a Sycophant

Nobody likes a brown-noser at work.  Passing too many compliments to your higher-ups will leave you with this notorious reputation. It is good to be enthusiast at work but agreeing to everything that a higher-up asks for, even when it seems unreasonable and other people won’t put up with it, will earn you your co-workers’ scorn.

Even worse, your boss might see through your constant sycophantic behavior and think you more a nuisance than a constructive team-member. Honestly analyze 10 things that you have recently said yes to at work in the last week, be it tasks or suggestions of your superiors. Did you honestly agree to all those things whole-heartedly? If not, others will soon see through your act.

Using Social Media while at work

It is ok to check your newsfeed from time to time to give yourself a mini break, but being on social media every time your boss walks by, reflects badly on you. If you say that checking Facebook every 10 minutes doesn’t effect your productivity at work, you would be lying to yourself. Even worse, whining about job on social media or accidently letting slip any that is highly confidential could cost you your job. Break your habitual obsession with social media before it gets you fired.

Dressing poorly

How can anyone think you are taking your job seriously when you come into work every day with sloppy clothes, poor hygiene, and looking like a homeless vagabond? Your hygiene and appearance goes a long way towards establishing your credibility at work. Poor grooming habits scream “I couldn’t care less about this job,” and is a surefire way to get overlooked by your boss when the time comes for a promotion, a career development opportunity, or a chance to represent your company at a conference.

How you come into work and present yourself shows your commitment to work. Also, don’t be surprised if you don’t get invited to official dinners and social gatherings. While nobody is asking you to spend an arm and a leg on a walk-in wardrobe, you should wear clean and ironed clothes to work, do your hair sleekly, and practice personal hygiene.

You Are a Bag of Excuses

Everybody makes mistakes but the right thing to do is to own up to them instead of making excuses. Are you someone who always has an excuse ready for when you forget the zip drive with your presentation notes at home or when you missed an important deadline because you couldn’t bother to follow through. You don’t know the answer to your boss’s questions but you get away because of your sleek tongue.

It may work for a time, but you will eventually be called out on your lame excuses. Instead of making excuses for your mistakes, why not set reminders and try to get things ahead of time for a change!

Taking Too Many Personal Calls at work

One of the quickest ways to be shown the door is to constantly chatter away on your phone during working hours. Spending a major part of your time on phone, orchestrating your own personal business, will have you looking for a new job soon.

Nicking Office Supplies

Swiping a few office pens, papers lying about, or picking up a pencil here and there may not seem much, but before you know it, you will be nicking the bigger stuff and be labeled the office thief. Swiping stationary and other office supplies from your workplace can seriously cost you your job. After all, a theft is a theft. Even if you think your little habit is harmless, it can have serious repercussions for your career, and your employers may not be too forgiving.

Shutting Out your co-workers

Are you somewhat of a lone wolf, always wanting to do things on your own? In a workplace setting where employers set quite a score by teamwork, this attitude won’t do! While independence is good when you need to focus hard to get a project done or when you are assigned a task that only you can do, people are more drawn to team players who get along well with their co-workers.

Team-playing includes giving credit where it is due, listening to difference of opinions with an open mind, helping others even when they don’t ask for it, doing tasks that aren’t necessarily in your job description, etc. If you are seen as a lone wolf, your co-workers won’t be willing to jump into help when you are stuck in a rut.

Being the Class Clown

While a touch of humor is needed in workplace settings, people never warm up to those who like to get a good laugh at the expense of others or pull embarrassing pranks on colleagues. While everything might be funny to you, your colleagues may secretly start despising you. Your hooliganism may even land you in hot waters with the management if you take your habit too far and cross lines. A prank could go wrong or someone could snap, and you will be packing up your bags for the last time.