We all realize that in today’s economy, jobs are not easy to come by. Given the fact that there are over 10 million people in the United States alone that are unemployed, once we have a job, most of us try to do our best to keep it.
Of course, statistics will show that more than 70% of the workforce is unhappy with their jobs. The problem that arises when we dislike our jobs or find them uninteresting is that we tend to stray from our work duties while we count down the minutes until we can leave.
Are You At Risk Of Being Fired?
For those of you who are not motivated and seek to pass the day as quickly as possible, you must be very careful not to become a liability at work.
A business is open for one reason and one reason only – to make money. If you aren’t being productive, then you will likely find yourself out of a job. Being unproductive is one thing, but being careless is quite another.
There are certainly many reasons for being fired and it’s important not to give the big boss any excuses to hand you a pink slip. By paying attention to the small things that may put you in the not so good graces of your boss, you can hopefully avoid getting the ax. Here are 8 things you may overlook that may lead to being fired:
1. Not being punctual.
Shuffling the kids to school, getting that workout in, and sitting in traffic are all things that tend to put us behind schedule. But being on time is extremely important to being productive and remember, you MUST be productive! And let’s face it… it’s really not that hard to show up on time. Being punctual goes a very long way.
2. Surfing the Internet.
Yes, we ALL have done this and it’s a huge time waster. How easy is it to spend two hours watching epic fail videos on YouTube? What you don’t know is that your computer activity and website history can be and probably is monitored. Not a wise move to add insult to injury. Keep your surfing to the beach.
3. Texting.
It seems as though texting has virtually replaced actual conversations these days, especially with how easy it is with iPhones and the like. A five minute conversation can easily turn into an hour’s worth of texting back and forth. Employers do not want to see you staring down at your phone all day. Put the phone away or take a walk and use it.
4. Disrespecting your boss.
Most of us have had a less than pleasant boss at one time or another. Sure you want to tell them to take a flying leap, but instead you keep quiet and harbor resentment. That resentment will turn into disrespect, which in turn will lead to disrespecting your boss, which will then lead to a “performance review” meeting. You then find yourself on the short list and that’s a place you don’t want to be!
5. Being lazy.
Doing a shoddy job or flat out not doing your work will put you on the fast track to being fired for sure. By leaving work unfinished or pawning it off on someone else will not only anger your boss, but will also cause you to lose favor with your co-workers. If you just do the work you’re getting paid for, we can all just get on with our day.
6. Having a negative attitude.
Being pessimistic will drag you and your co-workers down faster than the Titanic. Even if you loathe your job and are counting down the days until you quit or retire, bringing negativity into the workplace is going to draw attention and may put you on the chopping block sooner than you like. Trying to find several saving graces about your job and focusing on those can make all the difference between keeping your job and being fired.
7. Being the office gossip.
Heck, we all like to hear dirt about our co-workers. Who’s dating who? Who got passed over for that promotion? If you want to get all the details about your work environment and office-mates, do it outside of the office. It’s merely a matter of time before your boss gets word that you are creating drama amongst the employees and may look to rid himself of your services.
8. Lying on your resume.
There’s no question here, if we lie on our resumes, we should be fired. Being hired under false pretenses is a terrible way to start a new job. Of course, it’s natural to embellish your accomplishments and job duties to make yourself more marketable, but a flat out lie is inexcusable. Be honest, and even though it might not be as impressive, at least it won’t come back to bite you.
There are dozens of bad habits that can lead to being fired and knowing what is acceptable and what isn’t is a good place to start. Unless you are actually trying to get fired, there is no reason to take part in the activities mentioned above.
Being a good employee is not a difficult thing to do. It all boils down to being honest, hard-working, and giving your absolute best each day. Take care of these things and you will never have to worry about being fired again.
Featured photo credit: Hot_Shot via flickr.com
