are you a bad employee

[alok agarwal]

 

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/jobs/are-you-a-bad-employee/articleshow/19880050.cms?intenttarget=no&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=etwealth

The 80:20 rule can be interpreted for the workplace as 20% of the employees doing 80% of the best work. It could, however, also be read as 20% of the employees causing 80% of all major problems. So, which actions of yours make the company judge and label you as a bad employee, deny you promotions and increments, and put you on the firing list? We lay down common behavioural pointers used by most professionals.

What is your profile?

The Crooked

The earliest you can get into trouble is by printing incorrect data in your CV. The companies that conduct employee background checks find that corporates have little tolerance for lies in resumes. Potential employers believe that at the workplace, such people could continue to attract negative attention by false reporting of data, padding of expenses, personal use of company resources like downloading movies through the official mobile phone, and theft of cash or goods. If you're caught doing such things, most managers won't consider it worth the risk and effort to counsel or rehabilitate you, and would choose the easier option of termination.

The Unreliable

You could frustrate your manager by not holding yourself accountable for your work and time, as well as by being unreliable in critical situations, such as coming late to office or meetings, missing delivery deadlines and offering poor quality output.

The Destructive

In an easily identifiable avatar, you are the one who intentionally causes damage to the firm's property, either by habit or to get even for a perceived wrong, thus becoming the biggest risk to a firm's existence and reputation. More insidious, but equally risky, is flouting of law and company policies to engage in illegal activities, including using the firm's identity and e-mail for unauthorised transactions or false communication.

The Disinterested

You can be the most common burden on the company's resources simply by being lazy and disengaged. You could get away with your apathy for some time, but a smart manager may spot you through your avoidance of ownership, lack of feedback in ongoing projects, non-volunteering for responsibilities and use of questionable short cuts at work. You could also give yourself away through constant complaints about personal issues, highlighting problems without suggesting solutions, surfing the Internet at office, and routinely exceeding your leave quota.

The Incompetent

This is a special label that is earned when you do not have the required skills and cannot deliver. The firm may try to get you trained, so don't foil it by refusing to change or learn. A great team leader would try and create the environment, systems and team culture to make it easy for you to pick up the right skills. He would advise you to focus on learning specific actions and to practise the same. A patient HR may even try to sculpt a job that suits your skills before letting you go.