10 Worst Work Habits

The following tips are excerpted from Anthony Balderrama's 10 Worst Work Habits (AOL/CareerBuilder).

1.  Procrastinating: complete tasks in a timely manner and plan ahead.

2.  E-mail Etiquette: always use spell check and pay attention to the people you're actually sending an e-mail to ensure you didn't accidentally click "Reply All."

3.  Crossing the line from informal to disrespectful:  Even if socialize or are on a first-name basis with your manager, always be respectful of him/her.

4.  "Taking advantage of leeway:"  even if your company doesn't have set rules for clocking in/out or dress codes, show up on time and take caution with 'business casual.'

5.  Not participating in social events:  you don't have to go to every outing or office party, but attending a few will allow your colleagues to get to know you as a person.

6.  Running late:  Balderrama cautions, "this isn't the same as abusing leeway; this is a matter of trust.  [...]  [When it comes to important projects,] who wants to trust the person who can't manage his or her time?"

7.  Living by "the book:"  While guidelines are crucial, don't be so inflexible that you refuse to work on a project that's slightly outside your normal duties.

8.  Always being negative:  Critically thinking is important but if you're always putting down another's idea, people will eventually stop listening to you.

9.  Watch where you rant:  Badmouthing the company is never a good idea - but if you feel that you need to vent, be careful of wary/when/with whom you do it.  Once you put something out into the world, it's extremely difficult to take it back (see March 13th blog), and this is especially true online, i.e. Facebook, MySpace, etc.

10.  Office Politics:   The more you're involved, the more likely it is that you'll develop a bad reputation.

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