Behaviors to Avoid at Work

There are certain behaviors that are proven to trigger irritation in others, especially in work environments. Gaining an awareness of what these behaviors are, and therefore, how they cause other people to feel will allow you to be proactive in your actions and subsequently more likable. Remember, your behaviors cause you to become more likable, not some natural quality that you are born with. So, this is under your control! Keep reading to find out which behaviors we believe you should avoid at all costs.

  1. Losing Your Temper: We can certainly be honest with you in saying that there have been, and will always be, instances that occur at work that cause you to lose your temper. However, it is how you handle those situations and the behaviors you express that will prove crucial to how you are viewed. Screaming at coworkers, your boss, or anyone else, kicking, hitting, or throwing things, or causing anyone to cry will leave a highly detrimental impact on those who surround you.
  2. Name Dropping: I’m sure the moment you read those words you’ve already envisioned a coworker, friend, or supervisor that continuously name drops in conversations. Doing so, while it may appear that it allows you to showcase some of your impressive connections, will only cause others to analyze your behaviors as someone who is in constant need of attention. Taking that a little further, someone of this sort is likely insecure in their own performance and abilities, and therefore not someone you would like to have as a leader!
  3. Bragging: As it relates to name dropping, we encourage you to completely avoid the general behavior of bragging. For starters, when you achieve an excellent performance, presentation, or outcome on a project, we can ensure you that the office will know about it. So, by consistently telling others, you are showing subtle self-depreciation, and again, hidden insecurity. Be confident in your achievements and we promise you that you will see results!
  4. Dismissing Others: Everyone you meet, and yourself, enjoy feeling valued in a conversation. Pay extra attention to this as you meet and build relationships with others. Always be keen to maintain eye contact, keep your phone away, ask questions to display active listening, and remember other people’s names! Someone who appears uninterested in conversation is often someone who feels superior or entitled… highly unlikeable traits.
  5. Closed Mindedness: If you take work, or life, too seriously, you will end up becoming close-minded to ideas, environments, and people. This is super harmful to your ability to build relationships, as it will cause you to lose approachability, friendliness, and ultimately likeableness.
  6. Gossiping: This last one, although pretty self-explanatory, is one of the most crucial behaviors to avoid at work, in life, and anywhere you go. We encourage you to designate a different outlet which will allow you to let off steam (exercising, painting, grabbing a bite to eat, walking to coffee or around a neighborhood, etc.). Gossiping is guaranteed to come around and bite you, and in some instances may even cause you to lose relationships entirely. So… not ever worth it!

Stay tuned… on Thursday, we’ll highlight some of the greatest qualities and behaviors you can perform at work that will help you to become all the more likable!

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