There is one very important person that you want to try and impress in the workplace and that’s your manager. When most people start their job they’re on their best behaviour, but with the best will in the world those standards can slip as the months go by. Everyone can get annoyed with their co-workers from time to time, but annoying your boss is a completely different kettle of fish.
At the end of the day, your manager can have a big influence on your career, so you want to avoid annoying them as much as possible. To be fair, you might not be aware of some of the niggling things that are really grating on them – so I’ve come up with five things that you could be doing that annoy your manager.
Not Responding To Emails
The working world is a busy place – especially if you’re working within the digital industry which means that emails can be easily forgotten about. But if your manager has sent you an email, make sure you acknowledge it – otherwise they might think you’re either being rude or you’ve been negligent and forgotten about it.
Your boss will most likely be a busy bee, so they don’t have time to chase up emails that you should have replied to. If you’re rushed off your feet and you’ve been sent a task that you won’t be able to do the next day, just let your manager know. It’s a lot better to let your employer know what the situation is and the time scale that you’ll be able to get the task completed by. This way, everyone knows what is going on and there’ll be no confusion or frustrations on your manager’s part.
Not Pulling Your Weight
There are certain duties that most offices have like washing up or making a round of hot drinks – if you’re always the one who sits there and waits to be served then your manager will probably have taken note of it. No one likes laziness so make sure you get stuck into the daily office routine – you want to show that you don’t mind getting involved.
Being Too Loud
Here in the Bubble office we love a laugh and a giggle – so we’re not saying that you shouldn’t have a chat with your colleagues. But at the end of the day the office is a place of work – so if you keep talking incessantly then you could actually be distracting others from their work, which could really irritate your employer.
If your co-workers have a heavy work-load and need to concentrate or they’ve got a phone conversation, then you need to respect that. Try and make a conscious effort not to be too loud and talkative in the office.That said; don’t be a mute and avoid any interaction – getting on with your colleagues and employer can make your life so much easier.
Moaning
We understand that some days you wake-up and everything can go wrong – you woke up late, burnt your breakfast and got stuck in a long traffic jam on your way to work (these days do happen). But you need to try to avoid bringing the rest of the office down with you – a manager’s job is to keep team morale up and if you’re putting a dampener on things then you’re going to get on their nerves. So try to remember that this is a place of work, not somewhere to vent on all your frustrations out.
Taking Feedback To Heart
If you’ve got a good manager then they’ll give you regular progress reviews which will be full of constructive criticism. It can be hard to hear at times because all you want to hear about is the good things you’ve done, but in order for you to progress you need to hear the good, the bad and the ugly.
If you give a defensive response to your manager then they’re going to wonder whether you’re the right person for the job. So when you sit down and your boss gives you some improvement points, take them on the chin and turn them into a positive – your manager will be impressed if you turn the negatives into positives.
So there we go; five things you could be doing that annoy your colleagues – if you’ve got any more ideas feel free to comment below.