Posts Tagged ‘unemployment’

Rarely does anyone walk into their job in the morning and say, “Today, my goal is to get fired.” However, some of the things you’re doing every day could land you in the hot seat quicker than you thought. Here are some things you should avoid doing in the workplace so you don’t end up last week’s employee.

1.) Gossiping

Sure, it’s all fun and games and harmless right? That’s until one of your co-workers is looking for a promotion or wants a way to get a head. Or worse yet, innocently says something without realizing that you didn’t want it repeated. Gossiping accounts for so much unnecessary work drama that if you were to cut it out, we could almost guarantee you’d add years to your life. Hypothetically speaking, of course.

Remove yourself from gossiping situations because you never know what situation may arise because of it tomorrow. It’s better to play it safe than be sorry and out of a job over something you may have said that she said that he said that…just don’t.

Don’t think that something drastic can come for a little gossip? Check out this story of four women with more than 46 years of experience at their jobs between them who were fired over firing up the rumor mill.

2.) Leaving what you could do today for tomorrow

The job market is tough, which unfortunately makes everyone’s jobs a little less secure. There are people out there vying for your seat right now. And if you aren’t putting in 110% each day, you shouldn’t be expecting the same from your employer.

Make sure your work gets done every day. Facebook, Twitter or other social sites can wait, unless, of course, your job is to update them for the company.

Try to go above and beyond in one small task a day. Believe me, small efforts will add up and lead to your boss seeing that you’re someone worth keeping when the next round of “budget” cuts happens.

3.) Thinking it’s okay to look for jobs while on the job

If you’re given internet access at work, don’t think that it’s free and unlimited. You’re provided this so you can do your job efficiently, not so you can use it for your own wants and needs. As I had mentioned in tip #2, stay off of Facebook and Twitter on work computers unless you have been given the go ahead by management to use them on occasion for your own personal use, or for the use of the company.

More importantly, do not go looking for other jobs on your work computer during work hours.  If your boss notices that you’re looking for work when you should be working, he or she may think you’re not serious about the tasks at hand. This could lead to a pink slip being handed to you when you mess something up or forget to do something.

Management is more willing to forgive occasional mistakes if they know your heart is in the game. If you are already one foot out the door by searching for new jobs on company time, they may very easily give you the push and shut that door behind you.

4.) Conducting personal business on business time

It’s okay to take a personal phone call here or there at work – everyone has family business they need to attend to. However, when you’re talking more on the phone than getting your work done throughout the day, you’ve got a serious problem.

Employers are paying you to work, not to catch up with your best friend about last night’s Glee episode, or stalk your ex-girlfriend on Twitter through your iPhone app. Get your work done, and when you clock out, get back to your personal life.

Don’t think that spending some “me” time in the office is that big of a deal? Check out the stories of employees getting fired for checking on their eBay accounts while on the clock.

The moral of the story is you want to make sure that when you leave a position, you’re leaving on your own terms. Be the person that people want to respect by not gossiping, procrastinating, sneaking around looking for other work or selfishly getting personal business done while on the clock. Listing them out that way just sounds bad, doesn’t it? That’s because it is.