Keeping Your Reputation Clean at Work
How many times have you asked a colleague out for coffee after work and then realized that you have way more in common than you ever thought you would? Or that your boss is a lot cooler and calmer when on a lunch break than during office hours? This tends to be because many of us like to keep the 'personal' us separate from the 'professional' us (two Facebook accounts, anyone??). Most of us are quite aware of certain behaviours and habits that are just not appropriate at work, which lends to the appearance of being more flexible or fun, after hours. Unfortunately, we do all know that one person who just happened to cross the line, even once, and the reputation remained with them forever. Well I am here to ensure that that person does not become you!
I came across an article on LinkedIn, highlighting seven key components to remaining professional. I summarize them as folllows:
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Dropping Your Commitments – no one likes broken promises and this is equally true at work
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Blaming Other People for Your Mistakes – he said/she said; own up to your mistakes and people will respect you
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Attending Professional Events Impaired – not only do you want to remember the names of the people you networked with when you wake up the next day, but one wrong move can make you the laughing stock of the year
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Assaulting Other People's Senses – be mindful of who's around and don't be that annoying co-worker that no one wants to sit next to
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Throwing Your Co-Workers to the Wolves – don't nitpick at what others may be doing wrong and announce it to the department
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Cutting Corners – slow down; use technology to your advantage to spellcheck, grammar check and scroll back up in case you tuned out halfway through the email
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Badmouthing Your Employer or its Associates – if there's something you don't like about your environment, make a change…whether it's leaving or changing your attitude
So there you have it! How to not be the subject of your office gossip! For more information, check your local library for these books:
2 thoughts on “Keeping Your Reputation Clean at Work”
Thanks Alessya. nice article. It is very important for everyone to make their reputation good at work because if the reputation of the person is good in the company than everyone in the company will respect him.
Thanks, James. This is true. Sometimes we don’t want to admit it, but fitting in to our work environment can be just as important as having the proper skill set!