Workplace harmony often depends on people being respectful and professional, and bad habits can significantly affect your work environment and relationship with co-workers.
Inc. shares the following workplace behaviors that can make you look unprofessional.
- Waiting too long to respond to messages. If you wait more than 24 hours to respond to an email, it often is viewed as disrespectful and unprofessional. Try to keep up with your emails and text messages as often as you can, and let people know ahead of time if you will be away and unreachable.
- Texting during meetings. Texting during meetings signals to co-workers that you do not care about their time. If you must text during professional interactions, try to keep it to a minimum and focus on your work.
- Taking too many breaks. If people see you taking a break every five minutes, the assumption will be you are not working at all.
- Constantly complaining. Everyone has bad days. However, try to avoid complaining to anyone who will listen and instead focus on a positive, professional attitude.
- Interrupting people. Interrupting people before they are finished comes across as unprofessional. If someone is talking to you, allow them to finish the thought before you share your thoughts. Practice active listening and choose your words thoughtfully.
