Tips On Getting Ahead At Work - Work Habits

How to Fix Bad Work Habits and Develop Good Ones

By
Relationship Advice Expert April Masini

Q: Dear April Masini,

I am embarrassed to say that I have a difficult time keeping a job. I somehow end up annoying each and every boss I've ever had, whether it's from being late to work or not staying organized and forgetting important meetings. I just got hired for a new, really exciting job and I really don't want to lose it. Do you have any advice for how I can stop being so annoying at work?

Sincerely,

I Can't Help But Annoy

A:

Dear I Can't Help But Annoy,

It is most definitely NOT a good idea to annoy your boss. After all, being annoying is a sure fire way to get fired. If you have self-discipline and really want to stay at your job, it shouldn't be too difficult for you to stop being annoying. Take my advice and become the employee every boss wants to have!

Bad Habits and How to Fix Them:  

1. Lateness. If you're late, you're human. If you're late regularly, you're a late person. If you're late regularly and on important days when there are important meetings and you're late with important projects, you're an annoying employee at best and in jeopardy of being an ex-employee at worst.  

Avoid lateness? Yes! Do it. Buy an alarm clock. Buy two. Get an answering service that wakes you up. Go to bed earlier. This is SO avoidable. Do whatever you have to do to get there on time, and get it in on time. It's called discipline, folks. Get some. 

2. Unorganized. If you're not organized, you're human. If you're unorganized at everything, you're an unorganized person. If you're unorganized and you don't get your work done to your fullest potential, or to your company's potential or to your bosses expectation BECAUSE you're unorganized (as opposed to incapable), you're an annoying employee at best and in jeopardy of being an ex-employee at worst. 

Avoid disorganization? You betcha. Again, discipline is the key here. Take the extra steps to put things away where you will find them when you need them. Keep your long term and short term goals for work in your head and on your desk. Set up a system that will help you be more efficient. This is a skill just like learning to brush your teeth properly (which means slower and longer). It's not the most fun in the world, but it'll make you look good. And feel good. 

3. Slob. If you're always wearing one brown sock and one blue sock, or your roots are showing in your hair, and you usually have a run in your pantyhose, you'd better hope for a job behind your desk without any human contact or desire for human contact because your boss is not going to want you representing him or her or the company you work for. Face it. Appearance matters. It implies self-respect and therefore, respect for others. It implies organization, health, and understanding -- the same understanding it takes to succeed in life. 

Avoid being a slob? Oh yeah. Discipline is the key here. Make the time for a monthly hair appointment. Stock your car glove compartment or trunk and your desk drawer with pantyhose, lipstick, an extra shirt or socks -- whatever you need to keep yourself looking pulled together and fresh. Get to the gym on a regular basis -- even if it's just for the sake of a well toned silhouette when you're presenting at a meeting or having an important business lunch where you're representing your company. 

Tips for a fruitful relationship with your boss:

* Always be professional and respectful. Even if your boss breaks rank and uses racy language, tells an off-color joke, or dresses provocatively, or crosses some other line, it is your responsibility to maintain a professional boundary in every way. This will make your relationship with your boss much better because at least one of you, and in the best case scenario both of you, can be counted on for consistency in behavior. 

* Keep your eye on the ball. Don't get sidetracked into office drama or anything but your work at work. Keep your daily goals and your long term career goals in mind at all times. 

* Remember your own role in the company. You may have the greatest ideas in the history of the world, but if you're not the boss, and your boss is not receptive to them, don't try to beat them into fruition. Acknowledge your place in the hierarchy of the company and the profession and strategize how to work within that framework. This will make your life easier and your boss's life with you easier, too. 

April Masini -- nicknamed "the new millennium's Dear Abby" by the media, is author of the best-selling books Date Out Of Your League and Think & Date Like A Man, the two (just released) step-by-step dating and relationship manuals, Ideas for a Fun Date and Romantic Date Ideas, and the critically acclaimed dating and relationship online magazine www.AskApril.com.

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