We all have bad habits that we should change, and while some aren’t necessarily harmful, others have the potential to create a bad reputation for you and set you back, career-wise.
Many self-help sites preach about things to do at work to make yourself a pleasant employee and colleague, but hardly touch on things to avoid at work, which could tamper with your career progression in the long run. I’ve compiled the following tips from a combination of work and life experiences.
Limit the time you spend on social media
I think social media is the biggest thief of time. it’s easy to think you’re logging onto Twitter to reply to a direct message, an hour passes, and you find yourself neck-deep in the day’s topic. To minimize the time you spend on social media, my first tip is to disable notifications. You could be in a productive spirit, but sometimes, all it takes is one ‘ping’ to derail you. If your work doesn’t require the use of social media, limit using it to when you take your lunch break.
Excessive complaining
I struggle to put my finger on it, but something really unsettles me with people who are constantly complaining. Complaints have a way of creating tension and an unpleasant workplace, so I try to avoid it as best as I can. Remember that there’s a difference between sincerely asking for help, giving feedback and complaining. The first two seek and offer help respectively, while the third does neither.
Harsh criticism
There’s constructive criticism, which points a person in the correct direction, and often offers solutions to issues. People who have mastered this kind of criticism have a way of highlighting where you went wrong, in a gentle and considerate manner. Harsh criticism is often loud, with little consideration for the recipient’s feelings. Avoid being this person at work, it could result in your colleagues isolating you.
Abenathi Gqomo
