Ten Worst Things You Can Say at Work

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    Ten Worst Things You Can Say at WorkPaul MacKenzie-Cummins for CareerBuilder

    The British have a reputation for being intelligently humorous, polite, reserved and

    proud of our stiff upper-lip, as satirised by shows such as Fawlty Towers and

    Blackadder. But, when it comes to the office, many UK workers are guilty of

    displaying bad manners towards their colleagues and committing verbal faux pas on

    a regular basis.

    So, if you want to stay on the right side of your co-workers, here are some of the

    things you may wish to avoid saying out loud.

    1. "You are the dumbest boss that I have ever had"

    You have just landed the job of your dreams and you can't wait to give your current

    boss the two-fingered salute and tell him exactly what you think of him. But, resist

    the temptation to bad mouth and let off steam. Take the following true case that

    appeared in The Times as an example of what you should not say. One person

    referred to their employer as "having an intellect that ranges above the commonground squirrel." He added: "You are one of the few true genetic wastes of our time."

    Remember, your comments will be filed for future reference if requested by another

    employer.

    2. "That's not myjob"

    With your 'to-do' list showing no signs of getting shorter, your boss walks into your

    office to ask if you do a 'little' job for him, which results in you taking on more work

    than you can realistically manage. But, a "blunt refusal to help, will simply burn

    bridges and damage goodwill," says psychologist Bryan Carroll. "Instead, simply

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    explain your existing commitments -- and perhaps propose another time that you

    could offer assistance."

    3. "Anyone can do his job"

    Are you quick to badmouth your boss or ridicule their decisions or initiatives? Watch

    out: the boss hears everything that is said in the office -- good and bad. Assume that

    what you say will eventually get back to him via the network of office gossips. And

    the next time you notice yourself griping, ask yourself, "Is it more important to vent

    my frustrations, or to get that next promotion?" One expects the latter will be your

    reply.

    4. "Take the whole pack of Trebor's, please - you need them more than me"

    This approach is about as subtle as a brick and you may want to re-assess yourdiplomacy skills. The best way to tell someone that their breath is a problem is to do

    so discreetly. If a colleague has bad breath, offer a mint or furtively leave a packet on

    their desk.

    5. "Sack me and you will regret it"

    These were the famous last words of Martin Jol shortly before his dismissal as

    Tottenham Hotspur manager. Just because you were the number one salesperson

    or are credited with reversing the fortunes of the company in the past, does not

    guarantee that you will have a job indefinitely. Remember, nobody owes you a job.

    And, as the saying goes: you are only as good as your last game.

    6. "Why can't I log onto Facebook anymore?"

    The Daily Telegraph reported with reference to a survey for HCL Technologies

    that half of workers have been banned by their employers from Facebook and other

    social networking sites. The reason is because they detract staff from doing what

    they are paid to do - work. Besides, do you really want to run the risk of your boss

    peering over your shoulder and finding out what you reallyget up to at the weekend?

    7. "Have a go if you think you're hard enough"

    Most of us don't get to choose the people we work with and your colleagues come as

    part of the package when you take a job. So it would be unrealistic to presume that

    you will get on with everyone all of the time. But if the tension between you and a

    colleague threatens to boil over, physically remove yourself from confrontation and

    allow yourself sufficient time to work out a passive response. "We've all said things in

    anger that we later regret," says Nancy Peterson, co-founder of the Mediation

    Agency. "A lot of conflict could be avoided if people didn't wrongly hypothesise a

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    reason for someone's behaviour, and make a poor decision based on this

    judgement."

    8. "I do like to dabble in recreational drugs every now and again"

    If you do 'dabble' then make sure you keep it to yourself -- whatever you tell people

    now will become more widely known as you climb the career ladder and, you may

    find that that climb comes to an abrupt halt sooner than you think. In a survey of

    email blunders, officebroker.com in the UK found the case of an employee who,

    following a 'sick' day, sent an email to a colleague explaining his illness was due to

    'class A's'. Unfortunately, he sent it to everyone in his company including the senior

    management. He now works elsewhere!

    9. "Go away, I'll do it when I'm ready"With Britain's long-hours working culture, it is easy to feel swamped by the

    increasing amount of work that you have to get through every day. But, there really is

    no excuse for bad manners at work.

    10. "How did he ever get promoted?"

    You may think that you are smarter than you really are and perhaps feel that it

    should have been you rather than your new boss who deserved a promotion. But

    don't follow the route of constantly bemoaning or spreading vicious gossip about

    your boss -- a condition termed 'post-traumatic embitterment disorder' by

    researchers at the University of Berlin. Moreover, in your eagerness to prove to your

    superiors that they were wrong to pass you over for promotion, you run risk of being

    seen as an irritant or, worse still, desperate. So never point out what could be done

    better unless you are canvassed for your opinion by your boss.