5 Bad Work Habits to Get Rid of Immediately
Whether it be working in an office or a remote work setup, healthy habits often tend to abandon even the most productive of employees. Unfortunately, bad habits never do any good to working professionals and even become the reason for employees to get demoted, suspended, or even dismissed. Here are 5 bad work habits that negatively affect performance and need to be stopped immediately:
1. Never meeting deadlines
Although it’s understandable for employees to miss deadlines from time to time, it becomes a bad habit if missing deadlines become a regular occurrence. Basically, the more deadlines are missed the faster the employee gets booted from the company. This is especially true for companies that are always on a tight schedule and cater to thousands of clients on a daily basis.
If you’re one who never intends to miss deadlines yet still doesn’t submit a task on time, it’s still considered a bad habit that you need to fix immediately. One solution for this is to create a schedule for all the tasks you need to accomplish for the day or week so that you’ll be able to focus on tasks that are important or urgent. Another solution is to have a focused mindset wherein all your time and energy are poured out on whatever deadlines are due. With complete focus, you’ll be amazed how much work you can finish in a short time frame.
2. Always complaining
Much like never beating deadlines, complaining is unavoidable for everyone working in the organization. Even CEOs and company executives complain every now and then. But when complaining is paired with zero work ethic and poor working relationships, then it’s one of the signs of poor work ethic and is a recipe for disaster for any employee. Employers won’t hesitate to dismiss chronic complainers, simply because they don’t really offer anything beneficial for the company and their regular nags and whinges only lower the morale of a majority of employees.
If you ever think about complaining, why not turn those complaints into alternatives or solutions. Find the root cause of your complaints and create solutions to solve any issue you’re having in the workplace. For example, if you’re annoyed with slow computers provided by the company, stop complaining about the computer’s poor condition and rather give out a suggestion that the computer needs to be replaced as it’s already negatively affecting your productivity. Even if your concern isn’t addressed immediately, at least you’ve already given a heads up to your boss and you’ll only have to remind them from time to time.
3. Glued to social media
Social media addiction is real, all the more for full-time professionals. Although social media is a great form of escape or relaxation for many, it can become a problem if it completely takes over one’s work life. Whether it be checking notifications every few minutes or opening separate tabs on the computer, social media is a big form of distraction that should be stopped at the soonest time possible. If not controlled, it can be carried over throughout one’s entire career and will become a big problem to fix.
Social media is here to stay but it doesn’t mean you’ll have to get glued to it 24/7 especially when you’re working. Most employers implement strict measures when it comes to social media, or electronic use in general, during the work shift. If your company doesn’t have these measures, be responsible and practice self-control as much as possible. Hide all your devices in a locker or in a secure place and avoid opening social media websites on your computer while completing a task. Remember that you have all the time to post a story on Facebook or like a photo on Instagram after work hours.
4. Being short-tempered
Although complaining too much is comparable to being short-tempered, having a short fuse belongs in a league of its own. No one likes to work with someone who has anger management issues, whether it be an individual in the same department or a boss running the entire organization. These types of people are unpredictable and can go on a rage at any time during the day, affecting not just their productivity but the productivity of others. They can also cause serious physical and mental harm to other employees which can lead to untimely resignations.
This shouldn’t be a problem if you’re a patient person. But if you’re not and tend to lash out on a few occasions, try your best to control your emotions. Remember that work issues never go away and you have to deal with them through positive thinking, poise, and integrity. If it involves a difficult coworker, it’s best to ignore them completely and avoid confrontations at all times. Immediately seek help from the company’s human resource manager if you feel like there are situations where you can’t control your emotions.
5. Being unhygienic
There’s a reason why most, if not all organizations, require every employee to practice hygiene every day. Having even a single employee who doesn’t take a bath or rarely changes work clothes doesn’t only alienate them from other workers but also puts the company in a negative light. Imagine an employee practicing an unhygienic lifestyle having a meeting with a potential client. Even though this employee possesses all the right skills, there is a big chance that the said client will still back out from a deal due to the employee’s dirty appearance.
Personal hygiene plays a key role in maintaining professionalism in and out of the workplace. It’s not just about maintaining a clean and professional look but also maintaining good physical health. A person who doesn’t practice hygiene is susceptible to numerous diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis A, and typhoid, among many others. To add to this, no coworker likes to be associated or placed in a room together with an unhygienic person, mostly resulting in the latter having low morale and low productivity.
Final thoughts
Unproductive bad work habits may creep up every now and then but it doesn’t have to define one’s career. These unhealthy habits can easily be stopped and once they are fully gone, they can transform a struggling employee into an individual that lives out his or her full potential.
