You are speeding down the highway, fighting with morning traffic, when you realize you left your briefcase at home on the kitchen table. Now you have to go all the way back home, which means you will be late for work again. At this rate, you will never get a raise, much less a promotion. Despite any past mishaps, it is possible to shape up and avoid ruining your career. Everyone wants to be successful at their job; however, there are 7 bad habits that could potentially ruin your career. These habits should be avoided at all costs. These seven habits are arriving to work late, taking too many personal calls on the clock, forgetting to clock out for lunch breaks, returning from lunch late several times a week, leaving work half done, calling off without giving sufficient notice and bad mouthing your career on social networks.
One of the most important destructive habits to avoid is arriving to work late.Getting to work on time can seem almost impossible, especially with traffic and weather conditions changing each day. If you get a full night of sleep, and get up on time each morning, you can ensure that you will not be late. Being late for just a few minutes can throw an entire day off schedule, especially if your arrival relieves someone else from their shift.
The second bad habit to avoid is taking too many personal calls while on the clock. Managers do not wish to see their time being taken advantage of, so thirty minute chat sessions with your best friend Rita have got to stop. It is okay to receive personal calls for emergencies, or in exceptional cases. Under no circumstances should you abuse the privilege, or your employer may take it entirely away.
The third and fourth bad habits go together like bread and butter. Never forget to clock out for lunch breaks, and be sure you return in a timely manner. Forgetting to clock out can cost both you and your company substantial money! If the labor board were to audit their time sheets and see that an employee worked a 9 hour shift with no break, this could get your company into tremendous trouble. In addition, when given a lunch break, be sure to take only the time allotted to you. You don’t need to be more than 5 minutes late coming back from your break.
The fifth bad habit to avoid concerns your work ethic. Be sure to complete all tasks to the best of your ability each day. If you are unable to complete a task before leaving, inform your manager and pick up where you left off the next day. Leaving behind incomplete work can be frustrating for those left to pick up the slack, and could result in your boss cutting the slack!
The sixth bad habit to avoid is one of the worst. As an employee, you should try to give your manager at least 24 hours notice if you are unable to come in to work. Sometimes you may not be able to give 24 hours. In such emergency situations, simply notify your manager the minute you know you are unable to work. By doing this, you are showing consideration for others at your workplace, and helping to minimize interruption of the daily workflow.
Finally, and most importantly is the seventh bad habit to avoid. In today’s times, technology rules. It can be difficult to stay away from social networking sites such as Twitter, Tagged, Facebook and Myspace while at work. Even if you do frequent these sites during the workday, it is necessary to remember to refrain from posting negative comments regarding your job. If your boss sees you tweeting about how much you can’t stand your job and how irritating your boss is, he may very well feel obligated to help you out of your situation by firing you.
In conclusion, keeping from ruining your career can be an easy thing to do. Just remember not to allow destructive habits to jeopardize your career. With a few straightforward steps and a good nights rest, you are well on your way to a successful career.