1. Office gossip
It can often be helpful to engage in personal dialogue with your co-workers. You can learn valuable information. Showing your human side to your co-workers by participating in conversations can't hurt, in small doses. The danger occurs when individuals devote a lot of time to personal or office-related gossip.
You don't want to get entangled in office drama. It wastes physical time and mental energy that could be spent more productively.
How do you get out of the habit of sharing office gossip? Avoid locations or times of the day when these conversations usually start. Post your daily agenda on your door or work space. This will help you to stick to the tasks you intended to work on, and it also sends the message to your co-workers that you simply wont be able to fit in other activities.
2. Excessive complaining
Very similar to office gossipers, complainers usually stick together. Younger or new employees are in danger being shaped by complainers if they form friendships with them before understanding the real dynamics of the office.
The best way to combat excessive complainers is to avoid them at all costs. During social situations spend as much time as possible with more positive co-workers. Also remember that in any office setting, people will fall into one of the following categorizes: early adopters, change resistors, or somewhere in between. Complainers fall into the change resistors category, and supervisors are quite wary of them. All the more reason to avoid them!
3. Imposing their work style Some people prefer to begin plowing through a project without any advanced planning. When in a group project situation this person may use the plow-through method to take over a project or slant the work load in a self-serving direction.
Insist on assigned roles within the group. Don't be afraid to occasionally ask for a vote when it seems that only one person's ideas are being considered.
4. Asking you to finish their projects
This is also referred to as putting someone's monkeys on your back. If you are ambitious and knowledgeable, other people may be coming to you under the guise of needing assistance understanding reports or completing tasks. They may actually be taking advantage of your generosity, so watch out.
Answer the person's questions, but do so in a way that puts the ultimate responsibility on the other person. For example, Ms. Smith comes to you with questions about her time sheet. What she really wants you to do is complete the time sheet herself, because she doesn't want the responsibility of having to estimate her overtime. Not only is this a time waster for you, but your co-worker could blame you for any inaccuracies in the final submission of the reports. Show Ms. Smith an example of your reports, and explain step-by-step how you completed your reports. Don't let her keep a copy of your work for fear she'd somehow use it against you. Then, get out of Smith's proximity by making a phone call or attending a scheduled appointment or meeting.
In conclusion, some office environments are more productive than others. Do what you can to protect your time and your professional reputation.
It can often be helpful to engage in personal dialogue with your co-workers. You can learn valuable information. Showing your human side to your co-workers by participating in conversations can't hurt, in small doses. The danger occurs when individuals devote a lot of time to personal or office-related gossip.
You don't want to get entangled in office drama. It wastes physical time and mental energy that could be spent more productively.
How do you get out of the habit of sharing office gossip? Avoid locations or times of the day when these conversations usually start. Post your daily agenda on your door or work space. This will help you to stick to the tasks you intended to work on, and it also sends the message to your co-workers that you simply wont be able to fit in other activities.
2. Excessive complaining
Very similar to office gossipers, complainers usually stick together. Younger or new employees are in danger being shaped by complainers if they form friendships with them before understanding the real dynamics of the office.
The best way to combat excessive complainers is to avoid them at all costs. During social situations spend as much time as possible with more positive co-workers. Also remember that in any office setting, people will fall into one of the following categorizes: early adopters, change resistors, or somewhere in between. Complainers fall into the change resistors category, and supervisors are quite wary of them. All the more reason to avoid them!
3. Imposing their work style Some people prefer to begin plowing through a project without any advanced planning. When in a group project situation this person may use the plow-through method to take over a project or slant the work load in a self-serving direction.
Insist on assigned roles within the group. Don't be afraid to occasionally ask for a vote when it seems that only one person's ideas are being considered.
4. Asking you to finish their projects
This is also referred to as putting someone's monkeys on your back. If you are ambitious and knowledgeable, other people may be coming to you under the guise of needing assistance understanding reports or completing tasks. They may actually be taking advantage of your generosity, so watch out.
Answer the person's questions, but do so in a way that puts the ultimate responsibility on the other person. For example, Ms. Smith comes to you with questions about her time sheet. What she really wants you to do is complete the time sheet herself, because she doesn't want the responsibility of having to estimate her overtime. Not only is this a time waster for you, but your co-worker could blame you for any inaccuracies in the final submission of the reports. Show Ms. Smith an example of your reports, and explain step-by-step how you completed your reports. Don't let her keep a copy of your work for fear she'd somehow use it against you. Then, get out of Smith's proximity by making a phone call or attending a scheduled appointment or meeting.
In conclusion, some office environments are more productive than others. Do what you can to protect your time and your professional reputation.
Jane Thursday is a freelance writer, a mother of two young children, and an elementary school principal. She holds a doctorate in educational leadership, a master's degree in school administration, and 6-12 English Language Arts teaching licensure. She has studied public education in the United States, South Africa, the Philippines, and England.
Read more articles like this one at http://www.janethursday.com
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jane_Thursday,_Ed.D.
No comments:
Post a Comment