5 silly mistakes that’ll make your colleagues hate you

Building a good rapport with your co-workers is a nice idea considering the fact that we spend a good part of the day at work. For most of us, the time spent in office is more than what we get to be with our family and friends.

Sometimes, however, we may inadvertently rub our colleagues the wrong way, and our small but unlikable actions may not go down well with the people we work with.

Here are five little-known factors that can earn you your co-workers wrath and, in the long run, you may well become the most disliked person at work.

According to Debbie Nicol, an expert in HR and talent management in Dubai, any of the following will ensure loss of your co-worker’s respect and you may be the much disliked person at work.

Being part of a team on paper, not in deed

It’s not an easy task to work in a team. An employee may be good as an individual worker, but may not be able, or choose not, to perform well in a team.

A section of employees believes that they will not be rewarded for collective work, and may take the work lightly, thus making them the odd one out in the team.

“Teams cover shifts and the response and efforts of a previous shift will influence the quality of experience for the following shift. Respect will be lost if patterns emerge, whereby difficult jobs are continually passed on to the next shift or next day for completion,” says Nicol.

Such employees may need to adapt their work-habits, but if they can’t, they might end up being relegated to doing sundry tasks or manning skeleton shifts where not much teamwork is required.

Being consistently late

Punctuality is a trait that is respected everywhere in the world and across industries. Consistent latecomers, on the other hand, are considered unprofessional.

This not only has a negative influence on the other team members, but if not corrected at an early stage, may even set the precedent that it is acceptable to walk in late. In other cases, it could increase the workload on others, leading them to dislike the defaulter.

When one is late, extra burden, stress and pressure can land on the shoulders of all other operators, insists Nicol. Occasional delays can and do happen to even disciplinarians, yet when it is on a consistent basis, trust will be lost, she says.

Being a fake

Nobody likes double-faced people and pretence can only make you unlikable at work. For example, you apply for a promotion but tell a completely different story to your co-workers. This will only tarnish your image and paint you as someone who is secretive and deceitful.

Nicol believes “transparency is the key for successful and on-going work relationships. This is especially true when factors can provide opportunity such as promotions.”

Being insincere

As a team member, one is required to provide balanced feedback and pass on the right facts when decisions are taken. Hiding facts or disclosing information that may not show the true picture will put a candidate as serving one’s own purpose and trying to influence the decision-making process that will further an individual’s goal.

“Many group or team tasks require collaboration, and depend on transparency of facts. When a body of facts exists, and only some are passed on to colleagues, that results in inaccurate or non-serving decisions being taken. Could it raise question-marks about being ‘set up for failure’?” questions the HR expert.

Taking credit when none is due

Plagiarism is theft, but many employees, knowingly or unknowingly, will try to build their success on somebody else’s hard work. Nothing can be more disgusting than this, and will definitely make you unlikable in the office.

There are no short-cuts to success. “When success comes from work that is not your own, and not attributed to the rightly owner, not only is trust lost but discontent will also fester,” says Nicol. “The world of possibility is finite – large but finite. There will always be overlap and use of other resources,” she says but remember to attribute it to the right person and always give the other person the due s/he deserves.

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