by Jack Cawilan [DUQM Project, Oman]
Employee behaviors have a profound impact on efficiency, effectiveness, achievement and affiliations with co-employees, supervisors, managers, clients, sub-contractors, and other people you are working with. While good working behaviors can help you improve in your tasks and have positive experiences at work; bad working behaviors can do the opposite. It's important to have admiration for your job, your workplace and those you work with, so it's always good to eliminate your bad working behaviors.
In this blog, I will list some bad working behaviors and the simple ways / ideas how to improve them.
What are bad work behaviors?
Bad work behaviors are negative actions that have become a practice. It will display poor behavior at work, this will reflect on you as an employee and an individual. It's important to realize when you've formed a bad behavior and you should take action to eliminate those behaviors.
12 bad behaviors in the workplace
Once you've identified your bad behaviors, you can fix them before they have lifelong effects on your working relationships and your job. Here are some you may have and ways you can improve them:
1. Negative feelings
Negative feelings may come from comparing your salary or positions to co-employees, working longer hours, not getting along with a co-employee, or being frustrated at the slow progress of a project. Whatever the reason, negativity can affect your productivity and overall job satisfaction. Projecting negativity can isolate you from your co-employees, as they may no longer enjoy working with you.
You can improve your negativity and have a more positive outlook by understanding what is frustrating you and exploring ways to improve it. You may need to speak with your manager to see if you can delegate some of your work to others, work a more flexible schedule or focus more on what makes you happy in the workplace.
2. Having poor communication
Proper communication is important in any workplace, so co-employees can continue to work together to meet goals and create a unified work environment that benefits everyone. To make sure you engage in proper communication, actively listen to others, respond promptly to important email correspondence, return phone calls and be open to discussing opinions and new ideas.
3. Postponing your work
You may feel that you do your best work when you wait until right before the due date to complete it, but postponing can have a negative effect on the quality of your work and the co-employees who rely on your work before they can complete their own.
Instead of postponing, aim to finish your tasks as soon as you can. You may consider writing a daily to-do list, organizing your calendar or asking for help observing to deadlines when you need it.
4. Disorganized work
Another bad work habit is being disorganized. Disorganization can lead to missed deadlines, work taking longer than expected to complete and you being unprepared for meetings. To combat disorganization, create a system that works for you. You may need to time block your calendar, use a physical filing cabinet, and organize your computer files into folders, clean your cluttered desk and gather what you need for a meeting in plenty of time.
5. Not a team player
Even if you work in a more private role, there will likely be a time when you need to work with your co-employees to finish a task or accomplish a shared goal. Being a team player also means you recognize your co-employees for their work and you can help them with their tasks and have a friendly attitude.
If you aren't a team player, you may have a hard time connecting with your co-employees and your manager may choose to bypass you for a promotion but becoming more of a team player may come more naturally if you appreciate your co-employees’ work styles and display more positivity around the workplace.
6. Having poor nonverbal communication
Your body language is just as important as other forms of communication. Your body language may give others the impression that you don't care or lack confidence in your abilities. Instead of continuing with this bad habit, pay close attention to how you present yourself to others. Make sure to maintain eye contact when someone is speaking and keep your arms uncrossed so you don't give the impression that you're indifferent or upset.
7. Becoming distracted
There are a lot of distractions in any workday and work environment. From a loud office to notifications on your cell phone, distractions can interrupt your workday and deeply affect your time management. If you have a bad distraction habit and it's keeping you from work, focus on what your distractions are and find ways to eliminate them.
If your phone distracts you, put it in a desk drawer. If you're distracted by email notifications on your work computer, consider shutting them off and only checking your email during certain times of the day.
8. Not accepting feedback
Even if you've been in your same career for several years, there is always the opportunity to learn. Your manager, and maybe even your peers, may provide you with feedback on your work, and it's key that you be able to accept and appreciate that feedback. If you aren't able to, you could limit your potential for advancement opportunities.
To get used to accepting feedback, regularly seek it. With feedback from others, you can improve your work and feel more confident in your role.
9. Taking too many breaks
When you are away from your work for too long, it can lessen your actual working hours. Even though your employer may allow you to have breaks throughout the day, it's important to keep them to a reasonable quantity and length.
To improve on this bad habit, understand why you're taking too many breaks. If it's because you can't stay focused on your work for a length of time, you may consider changing where you work from in the office. If you're taking a lot of breaks to meet with friends from another department, suggest that you meet for lunch instead.
10. Having a poor attitude
Consider the benefits of staying professional in the workplace, no matter how frustrating of a situation you may be in. These benefits include a positive working relationship with your co-employees, increased motivation and productivity and more job satisfaction, to name a few. Poor attitudes usually come from being stressed or being unhappy in your current role or co-employees, but no matter the reason, it's usually something you can manage and improve.
Try to identify where your bad attitude comes from so you can address it, then work to remove the cause. For example, if there is a part of your personal life that is causing you stress, consider taking a couple of days off work to handle it so you can come back to work refreshed. Consider other relaxation techniques like deep breaths throughout the day to control the amount of stress you feel.
11. Lying
It's never a good idea to lie in the workplace. This is bad that can cause a manager or your co-employees to distrust you, and if your lies break company policies, your manager may decide to terminate your employment. It's important to operate from a position of integrity so everyone you work with knows they can rely on you, which leads to positive and fulfilling professional relationships.
To eliminate your lying habit, think before you act or speak, and make sure that what you do and say is truthful. You may also think about the consequences of lying because it's likely that the benefit you may think you get from lying isn't worth the risk of the consequences.
12. Showcasing poor manners
Just as in your personal life, manners are also crucial in the workplace if you want to practice good habits. Say thank you, please, excuse me and sorry when appropriate. Practice basic manners and seek to understand if your coworker is upset by something you did at work so you can rectify the situation.
Even if you perform these basic manners, it's also important to treat everyone in the workplace with respect. The main way to improve any poor manners you may have is to pay close attention to your communication and make sure that you're speaking to others in a kind and open way.
