Enjoying your job is not only about the size of your salary, it is also very much about the environment you work in. Your behaviour in the workplace can also be the difference between career success and career slump, so be careful what comes out of your mouth and what you do when you’re at the office.
Stay out of people’s business
Avoid being nosy at all costs and refrain from involving yourself in your colleagues’ private life. One rule of thumb to follow is that if people want you talking about their life, they will share it with you; so stay out of any issue that doesn’t concern you and focus on the business that pays your bills.
Be tactful
Tact is a skill that can be learnt just like any other, and it is free! Before you say something out loud or do something at the office, always remember and consider your colleagues’ feelings. As much as people should be mature and refrain from throwing tantrums, try to remember that we are different and thus have different sensitivities and cultures. This means that what works for you might be taboo to another. Think before you speak or act.
Know your place
You are at work, not church. Work is not a place for public confessions or hot debates; and if you don’t have a close relationship with someone, then you have no business speaking or asking about their private life. This includes love, religion, sexuality, political and sex life. When you have not unlocked a certain level of friendship, then kindly stay in your lane.
Avoid gossip
There is no saying this enough. If you have something to say to a colleague, call them aside and say it in private instead of discussing them with other co-workers. We often forget that when we gossip, the people we gossip with may very well turn out to be the people that gossip about us in future; so should there be a question or behaviour you are curious about, share it with them directly and in private or keep it to yourself. Stay away from unconfirmed rumours, lest you be left to deal with the blowout.
Respect everyone
It is all good and well to display the utmost respect for authority figures at work, but the ultimate professional has respect for everyone regardless of what their position is. Think of it this way, the junior you’re looking down on and belittling could very well be your future boss, so before you act all superior – think. How you treat others also speaks volumes about the kind of person you are. You should respect everyone from the cleaner right through to the CEO because even if you’re part of the senior staff, nobody will respect you if you don’t respect others.
Leave your private life at home
Work is not the place to talk about your sexual escapades. Actually, the less you reveal about yourself at work, the better. There are colleagues who also double up as friends and you have heart-to-heart conversations with them, but don’t mistake that friend with the entire office staff.
