I love going to work', gushed Manali, a fresher who had just joined a MNC. Four months later saw Manali stating that Work is okay, I guess...', but it was the eleventh month that really surprised everyone when Manali was found saying, I hate work!' So what lead to this transformation? What made Manali, who was identified as an enthusiastic, hard-working and team person hate her job?
We caught up with Manali over a cup of black tea and found out that the main reason why she ended up disliking her workplace was because of the Unprofessional attitudes sported by many of her colleagues! "I like Tea too! But I don't go drink it every 15 minutes or so. We work in the Marketing department and there is a lot of work, but due to these tea breaks, I am the only one left slogging away!" fumed Manali.
While Manali may have faced the ire of Unprofessionalism at workplace, we identified 6 other such Workplace Evils that can serve to annoy, irritate, disturb or even de-motivate employees! Following is a list of workplace deterrents
Unprofessionalism It spreads!
Unprofessional attitudes are contagious, says a study by the University of Calgary, New York. The study found that individuals were bound to get influenced by their lackadaisical colleagues in a working environment. The study explained this behavior as part of our mirror neuron system, which leads us to imagining that we are performing a task similar to that of our colleagues!
Moreover if one were to notice that a majority of colleagues are not committing themselves fully to their work, it is bound to serve as a de-motivating factor to the individual.The best way of avoiding the plague of unprofessionalism is to have a clear list of everyday goals to be achieved in the professional world. A well prioritized list of daily goals will effectively stop you from taking those countless tea breaks when you know that you have a task at hand that needs to be completed!
Bullying
Workplace bullying is as common as the sun rising, these days! With more and more people from different walks of life coming together at the workplace, this mixture is bound to throw up the bullies' and the bullied'. The best way to avoid being bullied at the workplace is to be assured of yourself and assertive.
An interesting research conducted on this topic, found that women were more at the risk of being bullied in their workplace (57%). However the figures more or less reversed, when it was found that women were the bullies (71%)!
Snooping Shoulder Surfers'
They creep up silently behind you with padded footsteps and silently spy on your desktop, from over your shoulder. This breed of colleagues are popularly known as the shoulder surfers', who prefer peeping in on over your work and suddenly making a remark or two, that never fails to catch you by surprise and also irritation at the fact that your privacy has been grossly violated!
A recent study had 35% of IT professionals admitting that they snooped around on their colleague's e-mails, while a whopping 75% admitted to accessing information that wasn't relevant to them by means of snooping! A simple way to avoid this shoulder surfing' is to let it be known that you prefer your privacy, when it comes to official mails. Another important thing is to always lock your computer, when you have to step out for a while.
E-mail Ping Pong
We all have that one colleague who likes to play e-mail ping pong all throughout the day! For those who don't know what e-mail ping pong is, it's an impulsive urge to reply to mails the second they arrive!
While there is nothing wrong with playing this game' at the workplace, it soon turns addictive and results in the individual being distracted from his/her work, due. Not only this, but if you have a senior/ colleague who loves playing this game of replying instantly to mails, it can disturb your work routine too!
The best way to avoid e-mail ping pong is to check your mail every 1-2 hour, this way you can reply to all the important mails and get your work done too! To know more Workplace Evils!
