Avoid These Behaviors at Work if You Want to Be Taken Seriously ...

1. Bringing Your Problems to Work

Guess what? Whatever is going on in your life is the not the problem of your coworkers or your boss. While they probably have some sympathy toward you, overall, your problems are your problems that you need to handle outside of your job. Of course this is extremely difficult, which is why you should share your problems with a close friend outside of work. Bringing your problems to work can affect your job, which is why this is one of the behaviors to avoid at work.

2. Sharing TMI

Here’s the deal, ladies. You can share little things about your life. Light conversations on the job are okay, as time permits. But sharing the deep details about your relationship or your most recent fight with your mom is not a wise choice. It can affect your job by painting you in a bad light.

3. Gossiping

Gossiping can be a temptation at work. You may be frustrated or put out with a coworker and nothing would make you feel better than to join in gossiping about them. Resist that temptation. While it may give you some temporary pleasure, it will eventually come back and bite you. Remember that anything you say can be spilled to the person you said it about, creating a difficult work environment.

4. Being a Kiss up

It is good and even admirable to be respectful of your boss and do your best to please them. It is okay if you strike up a casual friendship with your boss. But don’t push for that unnaturally or make it a point to go overboard to kiss up to your boss. Even if you win their favor, you will certainly lose that of your co-workers. Make it your goal to be a good employee instead of becoming the boss’s pet.

5. Snubbing Someone

Snubbing someone at work is not a wise decision. If that behavior goes on, it could wind up with both of you having to explain your actions to your boss. It is best to avoid letting your relationship with a co-worker get to that point. Don’t allow conflict to occur between you and a coworker, as much as you able to control that. Make it a goal to be pleasant to those you work with.

6. Dishonesty

Dishonesty will catch up with you. No matter what it is you're lying about at work, it isn’t a good idea. Better to be honest than to be caught up in a web of dishonesty later. Beyond that point, make it a goal to not behave in such a way that you would feel dishonesty is the best answer. If you don’t put yourself in a bad situation, you will not have anything to lie about.

7. Not Pulling Your Fair Share

Doing your job and taking responsibility for your own duties is a choice that will win you the approval of your boss and your coworkers. Everyone appreciates that. When you don’t pull your fair share, your work load ends up in someone else’s lap. This is not going to win you any friends. Do your work load and you will not find yourself in any sticky situations over this issue.

What would you add? What other behaviors do you believe are best avoided at work? Share your thoughts here.