If Your Co-Workers Think These 10 Things About You, It Can Likely End Your Career
Check yourself so you don't lose your job.
Drazen Zigic / Shutterstock Navigating office politics is a crucial skill, especially in the corporate arena.
It's important for employees to know what markers their success is being measured by, in order to get ahead. It can also be valuable to know which mistakes you might be making and how you can fix them before it affects your career.
If your co-workers think these 10 things about you, it could end your career
1. You're difficult to work with
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Nate Jones, a tech worker, gave career advice aimed at people who might not know that their teammates struggle to work with them. He explained that being seen by your co-workers as hard to work with is "a very human thing, it's intangible, it can be open to bias."
He went on to say that being hard to work with is something you can address and fix, but to do so, you have to know that you're hard to work with in the first place. Jones shared various ways to know if you're the difficult co-worker.
"You're either picky about your inputs or you're noisy about your process," he said. "If you are really picky about the format of the docs you get, if you are really noisy and have a lot of meetings that don't absolutely have to be meetings, if you go back and forth and talk to your manager and talk to other peers a lot, those are signs you're hard to worth with."
Jones offered guidance on how to fix your behavioral patterns so you become easier to work with, starting by reversing the inputs you initially didn't accept. Other techniques to change a hard-to-work-with persona included being more flexible and giving co-workers grace, even if they send over that document you needed a day later than you expected.
Jones shared tips for being more autonomous and less noisy with your process, saying, "You don't have to have as many meetings as you think you have to have," a statement that had employees everywhere rejoicing. He also explained, "You don't have to check with your boss as often as you think... As long as you're driving toward that impact and you're delivering the work and you know the details, when they check."
2. You're a slow worker
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Working at a slow pace affects the other people on your team, in that it can hold up the workflow for important projects. When you work together with other people, it's essential to stay on top of your workload so everyone else doesn't fall behind as well.
Jones noted that your co-workers will absolutely notice if you're not working up to speed, because it holds them back from doing their best work, too.
3. You complain too much
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According to Jones, "If you're complaining more than everyone else on your team, it's going to be a problem." And it's not just a problem because it can be annoying to your fellow workers.
Your co-workers will definitely notice if you complain to excess, and that's not the way you want to stand out from the crowd. Instead, constructive criticism can be a helpful way to guide your team to being the best they can be, but complaining just makes you seem like a negative person.
4. You're doing 'icing work' not 'cake work'
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Jones defined "icing work" as extra work, as opposed to "cake work," which is "the core work you're supposed to do." While your co-workers likely won't tell you that this frustrates them, Jones noted that "they may tell your manager. It may get you in trouble."
He shared the simple and actionable way to fix this issue: Pay more attention to your core work than whatever stray tasks you may have been focusing on. "Your challenge is to simply do the core responsibilities that you have to do," he added. "Don't do anything else that is extra credit and just focus on delivering the core part of your role perfectly."
5. You focus on everyone else's mistakes
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If you can't let go of people's past mistakes but "don't own your own stuff," your co-workers might take issue with you. Nobody wants to work with someone who deflects and projects their own work-related issues onto others.
Jones explained that this attitude is "Separate from complaining. This is about how you actually learn and grow and get better. If they notice that pattern, they probably won't tell you."
If this happens, it could easily signal that your career is heading toward a standstill.
6. You're inflexible
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If you're not flexible in the workplace, your co-workers are the ones who are left to pick up the slack. Being inflexible means you can't adapt to any changes you may experience at work, whether it comes from your boss or a superior. You don't roll with the punches, so to speak.
Having an inflexible attitude is something your co-workers will pick up on, and it makes them think you're not easy to work alongside. This can, in turn, damage your career if you don't change things quickly.
7. You own your activities but not your impact
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"On some teams, you may get away with that, because everyone owns their activities and not their impact," Jones said. "But in a lot of places, if half the team owns the impact and the other half doesn't, it's gonna get noticed and it's gonna get talked about, it just won't get talked about to you, if you're the one doing it."
Acknowledging your role in the way things operate and holding yourself accountable are both key parts to getting ahead in the workplace.
8. You don't express dedication to the team
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Jones noted that this is an intangible element that's open to bias, but that doesn't mean your co-workers won't notice it if they think you're not as dedicated as they are. Unfortunately, he added, "It will come up somewhere else."
Being committed to your job (or not) is definitely a noticeable attribute. That's not to say you need to dedicate your entire life and all your time to work, but when you're on the clock, you should be giving 100% effort.
9. You work at a different pace than everyone else
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Jones reiterated the second item on his list: Being a slow worker. "I am saying it again because this one is an absolute destroyer of careers," he exclaimed. "They won't tell you. They will think it, and they will work around you."
Jones believes that slowness in the workplace negatively impacts people's career trajectories, to the point where they might even lose their jobs because of it. By paying attention to the pace that your co-workers keep, you'll be able to get a sense of where your own pace falls.
10. You're socially awkward
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"If you make people uncomfortable at social functions, people notice and it is a problem," Jones said. He acknowledged that this is something that's open to interpretation and personal bias, yet he emphasized that he's witnessed the negative effects of being socially awkward at work, saying, "Those kinds of people, their careers do not go very far."
He concluded that one way to fix the issue of being socially awkward in the workplace is to "recognize that conversation is about light novelty," adding, "You just need to be relaxed, bring something that's slightly novel to the group, that is not a heavy topic. That can be a wide range of things, it depends on your office culture, but that's really the heart of it."
While some aspects about the way you work might be easier to fix than others, the first step is to turn inward and be honest with yourself about what your flaws are. Taking a long, hard look in the mirror is essential to changing yourself for the better.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.