Many of us show up every morning ready to work. We keep our nose down and do our job to the best of our ability. As the old saying goes though; the devil is in the details. Here are five things you could doing at work that can cause you trouble.
- Not socializing
We all have a lot going on today in our modern workday, but socializing is important. We pass up on those group lunches to work and eat at our desks or rush from meeting to meeting or task to task. Not only can taking a break to socialize help your career by building emotional bonds with your co-workers, but it can be better for your well-being including fighting burnout.
Dr. Kristen Lee Costa author of RESET: Make the Most of Your Stress says, “the CEO who told me he was almost completely burnt out before implementing the RESET principles.”
Start by scheduling time on your calendar for short coffee breaks to catch up with your co-workers.
- React badly to sudden change
Like everything else in life, balance is good. It is important to stay the course, but if you react badly when your boss asks for your help on a last-minute project you could be hurting your career. You could be seen as difficult or rigid.
Everyone is busy with their current task list and one more request feels like it could break the proverbial camel’s back. One trick is to stop and take a deep breath and let your mind wrap itself around the request. Then give your answer. This technique can keep you from regretting your initial answer.
- Office gossip
While socializing is a plus, be sure it doesn’t swerve into gossip. What is gossip? The simple definition is when a negative issue is discussed with someone that can’t help you with the problem.
How do you back out of a dish session with a co-worker? You can shift the discussion to a more positive subject, but sometimes that is easier said than done. A great exit strategy is to say something like, “I understand your frustration, decompress a bit and let’s talk about it later.”
Financial guru and business leader Dave Ramsey has a great rant about office gossip. https://youtu.be/pTiyy21Np_4
- You don’t shy away from your opinions
This can include sharing your opinions about your co-workers, politics, or even how to correctly make the coffee in the breakroom. What might seem like passion to you can come off as confrontational to others. Take more time to listen and look. Watch people’s body language when you speak. If you tend to jump in right away in meetings take a moment to write down your idea, then make your point when the time is right.
- Office complainer
It’s easy to complain at work. We typically are facing a lot of challenges from customers, co-workers, and the bosses. What can seem like a good way to vent can become a habit that turns you into the negative ninny or Debbie downer.
Reframe your mind-set, looking for the positives in your work, life, and co-workers. It is all right to occasionally push back on something you care about, but do not let your frustrations be a mantra. If you feel insecure in your position at work, try to find a good mentor to give you insight and more confidence.