There are certain habits that you might have developed in the workplace that can become the mistakes that could kill your career. These toxic traits can poison your professional reputation.
By Amanda Ndlangisa
Janine Lloyd, a business coach at my-coach-onliine.com, which is a life-coaching web portal, identifies these 8 career-sinking mistakes you may be making at the office.
Blaming Others. It’s never a good idea to pass the buck or to blame someone else for a mistake or bad judgement call. Employers value people who take ownership and show they are willing to take responsibility and learn from their mistakes. While you may not be wholly responsible for a mistake or project failure, own up to where you think you may have gone wrong.
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Gossiping. No one likes a gossip. While others may be interested in your juicy gossip, they will always be thinking: “I wonder what she says behind my back?” They will never truly trust you. No matter how much you think others won’t repeat what you say, if you gossip about your manager or the directors, they will get to hear about it. Never spread gossip, you never know what the truth is, so it’s best to just zip it.
Sucking up. Most managers trust the suck up the least. They never know their true intentions. Are they doing something out of love for their job or to get ahead? Are they just being nice or are they secretly plotting something? Your best approach is to focus on doing you best and letting your work speak for itself. Be open and honest but don’t brag about what you have done.
Oversharing. While everyone knows that you can become close to your co-workers and boss, it is best to keep your personal life personal. Bosses don’t want to hear about how drunk you got, or how you got dumped or why your life is a mess. If you need help speak to a non-work friend or a counsellor and if it is really affecting your work, take sick leave and get through it. If you fall apart at work, your manager might believe that you can’t handle pressure, which may affect your chances of promotion.
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Social Media bloopers. There is no privacy on social media. So, don’t criticise your company, boss or co-workers on social platforms. Be mindful that your co-workers, clients and boss will most likely see what you post on social media. Be careful about photos you share. Employers are unlikely to hire a person who drunkenly dances on tables in every photo, moans about their life nonstop or openly criticises others.
Demeaning others. Do not ever publicly or privately or publicly put someone else down, whether you feel they deserve it or not. Employers are looking for individuals who can resolve issues maturely. If you demean people, it means you cannot be trusted or respected, which are two very important qualities and valued in employees.
Going over your boss’s head. While this approach has some merit in extreme cases, if you have an issue, discuss it directly with your manager. Even the difficult conversations about something you are upset about are worth airing. Your manager will respect you for bringing it to the table. If you don’t, you could lose the trust and respect of your manager.
Disloyalty. Always put your company first. If you hear a negative rumour about your firm or manager, take it to your boss. If another company tries to poach you, be honest with your manager about the approach and seek their advice. If you have an employee who is bad mouthing the company and it’s affecting the business’ reputation, speak to them about it or bring it to your manager’s attention.