This post appeared in Mogul on December 5, 2014.
All is not fair when it comes to gender roles in the workplace. Call it “office gender politics.”
Women work so hard to be judged solely on merit, yet the truth is that these politics are always at play.
So while we’re growing mightily in our jobs and careers, let’s not allow other unsightly behaviors (active or unconscious) to speak for us. Instead, let us be the mindful sex.
Avoid these 11 opposites of decorum, courtesy and common sense, and you can keep it classy and high level, startup or Fortune 5, top of the ladder down....
11 Workplace No-Nos If You Want To Be Taken Seriously at Work:
1. Gossiping or badmouthing.
Doing so is a waste of energy, and the only person who looks bad is you, not the colleague or boss being blabbed about. Avoid spreading rumors and throwing others under the bus.
Gossiping is so high school.
- Tip: Focus your energy above and elsewhere. If you are pressured to contribute, keep it positive by saying, “I’m sure the person is doing the best he/she can,” or better yet, avoid the de facto “it is what it is” by offering a real solution or better process to help.
- Tip: Don’t be so easily influenced by negative and disgruntled workplace haters. Remember, those who throw shade are likely suffering from personal insecurities or issues, or lacking their own creative ideas or valid solutions to a problem.
2. Primping.
Unless it's your job to do so, for e.g., you work in beauty, applying your makeup or doing your hair at work attracts the wrong attention. It shows a lack of respect for your work and workspace. So get off your butt and visit the Ladies room. (Sitting for extended periods of time is bad for you anyway.)...
