Are you one of the 70% who are dissatisfied with their current job situation? There could be many reasons that make work unbearable. These can include factors from a tyrannical boss, long hours, unpleasant colleagues to a low salary. But have you ever thought of turning the spotlight on yourself? Maybe you have some bad work habits that are making the whole work experience totally negative.
Any bad habits you may have are going to impact how you work, your assessment, and most importantly what your colleagues think of you. Read on and discover what these might be.
1.You are moody and temperamental
Your colleagues never know with any certainty how you are going to react to greetings, proposals, invitationsv and phone calls. Your changeable mood means that you are probably bringing domestic problems into the workplace. Do you sulk or refuse to greet colleagues with a smile? Are you irritable and bad-tempered? If so, it may be time to separate your personal problems from those of the workplace.
2.You have stopped caring
Remember when you first came to the job and you were enthusiastic? Can you recall answering at the interview what you could bring to the job? If you no longer care what happens in the company and have built a little fortress round your desk, then it may be time to re-evaluate what you are doing in this job.
3.You are always negative
It was Dr. Cherie Carter-Scott who invented the word ‘negaholic’. If you fall into this category, it means that you are using phrases like these too often:
- ‘This is not in my job description’
- ‘That’s not my problem’
- ‘This may be a stupid question, but…..’
- ‘I will try to meet that deadline but….’.
- ‘I don’t have time to discuss this right now’
- ‘He’s a lazy jerk’
- ‘I hate my job’
- ‘The management in this company sucks’
Negative people in the workplace are usually regarded as being toxic or cancerous by management. Sooner or later, they will be eliminated.
4.You are often late
Being unpunctual usually means that someone else has to hold the fort until you arrive. Meetings may be delayed, callers are put on hold, and colleagues are kept waiting. This has negative consequences for everybody. Try being punctual for a whole week and see what happens. You might notice a thaw in the atmosphere.
5.You are lazy
‘Laziness may appear attractive, but work gives satisfaction’ – Anne Frank
Work is tough, so you want to do the minimum. You are convinced that too much work can be toxic. You see loads of colleagues stressed out, so you feel perfectly justified.
The only problem is that your laziness will affect your co-workers’ productivity, and this will boomerang on you, sooner or later. If you are part of a team, laziness will be dealt with decisively and you may well be punished or even demoted.
6.You rarely show gratitude
Gratitude seems to be in short supply at work. This was the finding in a survey of 2,000 Americans at work, carried out by the John Templeton Foundation. A feeling of gratitude not only leads to a happier workplace but actually can have a positive impact on workers’ physical and mental health.
Ideally, you should be able to show your appreciation by simply saying “thank you”. Similarly, you expect your work and efforts to be acknowledged in some way. This can range from the tiny day to day trivialities to the job performance assessment. Just think that everyone craves praise, attention and appreciation. Gratitude is infectious, so it will be returned to you. You will notice a better atmosphere when people are more grateful and positive.
7. You are cynical
‘Cynicism is full of naïve disappointments’ – Mason Cooley
Perhaps you had a negative experience when you approached your line manager with an issue. That issue was not resolved and led to it festering. You were disappointed, and now you are embittered. Since then, your cynicism has grown and you are sceptical of the value of change. You view customer care as a pain in the neck. Your attitude is that the company has not been loyal to you, so why should you bother? Your cynical attitude is like a cancer growing out of control.
8.You are too noisy
A lack of self awareness leads to noisy behavior, which disturbs your co-workers. You are totally oblivious of (or could not care less about):
- Talking in a very loud voice on the phone
- Heavy sighing
- Moving your chair noisily
- Banging box files on the desk
- Foot kicking
- Pen tapping
- Slamming the phone down
- Eating at your desk noisily
Instead of waiting for icy glares and nasty comments, why not try to quiet down? Just tackle one problem every week.
So, how did you do? Perhaps there are one or several areas that you need to work on in order to make your work bearable again for you and your colleagues.
Featured photo credit: Meeting/USDA gov via Flickr
