Bad behavior and a negative attitude at work may be more common than in the past. But bosses still don't like it, and those who exhibit such behavior should expect career consequences. Workplace researchers have been on a behavior kick of late. Last week British jobs website, TipTopJob.com, informed us that cussing out the boss is apparently an office commonplace in London and other parts of Europe. Now comes CareerBuilder with survey data that suggests bad attitudes are encountered daily on the job. However, CareerBuilder also found, bosses don't like it and will hold it against the perp when it comes to promotion time. First, just because it's more fun, let's see what types of bad behavior the 5,500 American workers CareerBuilder surveyed identified, and how often they said they witnessed it.. Even though such instances may happen frequently, that doesn't mean bosses have to take it and like it. When an earlier CareerBuilder survey asked bosses about certain types of bad behavior and its consequences, here's what came back:
- Negativity: 62 percent say they are less likely to promote employees who have a negative or pessimistic attitude (whining, pouting, etc.).
- Vulgar language: 51 percent consider vulgar language an indication that an employee is not ready for promotion.
- Gossip: 44 percent say they would think twice before moving an employee who participates in office gossip up the ranks.
- Sloppiness: Employees who do not clean up after themselves can hurt their chances for a promotion in the eyes of 36 percent of employers.
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
