When working in an office environment, it’s easy to take the passive approach, especially when it comes to building professional relationships. Technology has made it effortless to avoid any human interaction at all in the workplace - a fact that can be crippling for office workflow, happiness, and employee longevity. Here are 8 office faux-pas that can be fixed quickly to improve office communication and make a big difference in how employees construct and maintain both personal and professional relationships.
1) Having a Bad Attitude
Having a bad attitude in the workplace doesn’t only affect how you feel and how people see you; It affects others’ well-being and ability to function well in the office. Being constantly negative is also the quickest way to isolate yourself from being able to build productive professional relationships. So how do you combat the workplace blues? Get to the root of the problem. Take some time to examine yourself and why you feel so unhappy. Are there simple changes you can make to improve your demeanor in the workplace? Perhaps opening up communication with those around you might help? It may even be that the workplace just isn’t right for you - and starting somewhere new might be the solution to having a positive outlook when you go into work every day. Once you find the solution, you’ll notice that a good attitude makes it infinitely easier to build good, quality relationships - professional and personal - that will, in turn, contribute to your happiness and continued positivity.
2) Conducting Meetings without Intention
Have you ever found yourself attending or running a long meeting that feels like it’s getting you nowhere? That’s because the meeting didn’t have intention - a set goal for what you wanted to achieve and a plan for how to achieve it. Making the simple change of taking the time to plan your desired outcomes from a meeting ahead of time will make a huge difference in productivity; And we bet your meetings will be shorter and fewer, leaving you more time to work on other things.
3) Emailing Instead of Calling or Talking In-Person
Sometimes, email just isn’t the right tool to solve the problem at hand. Much can be lost in emails without the context of vocal and facial cues. In addition, many issues can be resolved in one phone call or conversation instead of a whole slew of emails. Many of us are very reliant on technology, and stepping out from behind the mask of an email may sound like a scary proposition. However, many employers have an open-door policy, and they want you to come talk to them. Once you take the leap and pick up the phone or open an in-person conversation, it’ll become much easier and much more fluid to do in the future. Think of the time and worry you’ll save on emails by simply communicating.
4) Making Generational Generalizations
Assumptions no longer have any place in the workplace, as for the first time, there are 5 unique generations in the same workforce. There is a significant breakdown in communication because some Baby Boomers assert that Millennials are lazy, talentless, and expect an award just for participating. Some Millennials are guilty of assuming that Baby Boomers and Traditionalists can’t use technology and aren’t progressive enough to move forward with modern business ideals. These five generations have incredibly different styles of communication. Instead of each generation making sweeping generalizations about the others, it’s imperative that we work toward understanding, learning, and compromising with each other.
5) Dressing Non-Professionally
While we agree that we should not make snap judgements about people based on their physical appearance, we can’t avoid the fact that first impressions matter - and how you dress has a big impact on how people view and treat you, especially in the professional world. In reality, dressing down or having an unkempt appearance can ruin a first impression with a new client, business partner, or an employee. They always say, “Dress for the job you want,” and we believe this is still incredibly important, and often overlooked.
6) Neglecting to Respond
It’s simple: Not communicating is still a form of communicating, and sends a strong, usually negative message to the person who is trying to communicate with you. Not taking the time to respond to an email or follow up often says, “I’m too busy for you,” or “Your needs are not important to me,” neither of which are good ways to build office relationships and progress in your career. Even if it’s a simple “thank you,” or an answer to a person who can’t move forward without your input, replying to emails, calls, and even texts is of utmost importance for a productive and positive workplace.
7) Skipping Social Events
We can’t all go out all the time, but skipping every networking event or office happy hour can have a significant negative impact on your cohesion with the team or the strength of your professional relationships. When you receive an invitation to a social event, it’s important to evaluate it from a professional standpoint. In addition, when you add intention to social events and go in with a goal and a plan for how to get to it, you can achieve a desired outcome and feel like you truly got something from the outing.
8) Disregarding Your Book of Business
You work hard on building your book of business - so you should also work hard on maintaining the relationships in it. The fact that it may not be useful in this moment does not mean that it won’t be helpful in the future, and when you need that relationship, you’ll thank yourself for having laid a solid foundation to work on top of. If you need help learning what a book of business is and how to create and maintain your own, check out our newest E-Book.
Are you ready to take the deep dive into cultivating real, meaningful relationships in your workplace? When you sign on with Future Image Group, you’re giving your employees, your company, and yourself a gift that will serve you for decades to come. Not only are you investing in the careers and lives of those you employ, but you’re also setting up the legacy of your business for long-lived success.
To get started with FIG curriculum in your workplace, get in touch with us! Talk soon!