Be it working in office or working from home , our behaviour and attitude has a lion’s share in building our career. In my experience in IT sector, I came across various situations which taught me what to do and what not to. I am listing below 14 things which I think will be helpful in your Corporate Life, Especially the last three !!
1. Wear a Smile
It is important to have a pleasant expression on face and to smile at the people you know when you encounter them. It makes people think that you are easily approachable and will help in improving your rapport with people. Usually nobody likes those who sit with a serious face and giving serious looks when they are called and also those who never smile.
2. Be Neat and Tidy
Neatness is not only in regards to your appearance and work desk, but also for the Folders in your Computer. Yes, make it habit that you not only dress and appear well and keep your desk clean, but also categorise the files in your working machine and keep them in the respective folders due to which they will be easier to find. If your folder structure is a mess, then your corporate life can be too. Well structured folder structure will save your hours of time in the long run!
3. Be On time!
Be on time not only in the office but also in every meeting! It creates a very bad impression if you are frequently late for the meetings and it appears that you have a casual attitude. In case you really have an emergency , do not forget to notify the people with whom the meeting is scheduled. It shows your professional behaviour and will help you in the long run for your career.
4. Hold the door for others
If you are walking with someone in the office space and you both need to pass through a door, it is good if you open the door and hold it to let the other person pass through. It will surely create a good impression about you. No matter who is the person and what is his /her designation, whether you know him/her or not, it is good to show respect to all the people. This act won’t let your respect down but will in fact increase it !
5. Speak softly , Watch your language
While speaking , it is important to be aware of the words you are using. In case you speak any harsh words to someone, it may create a wrong impression about you if some other person hears them and also you will end up hurting the sentiments of the one you are speaking to. Even in the time of crisis , it is important to not to lose temper and handle the situation by speaking softly but assertively, by motivating people to overcome the crisis. After all, everyone likes to work in a healthy environment.
6. Respect others
Legends say “Treat others in the same way you would like to be treated.” I strongly believe that what we give comes back to our way. In corporate life , it is important to give respect in order to be truly respected. Even if the person is below your level , it is good to speak with respect. Also remember that in IT sector , yesterday’s juniors might become your tomorrow’s seniors. Such cases are not uncommon at all!
7. During meetings, pay attention
During the online meetings , people have a tendency to do some other work or to check their mobiles. Don’t do that!!! Sometimes the meetings can be boring , in fact many times they are , but it is important to listen to all the things that are being discussed in order to raise any concern on time. Else , later it will come to you as a surprise which is in reality “Already discussed”.
8. Send minutes of meeting after every meeting
After every meeting, make it a point that you send the minutes of meeting (MOM). MOM is a brief summary of the things that have been discussed during a meeting. It is always good to have everything on mail. In case any one wants to add any things they can add on that . But people won’t be able to say later “I didn’t know about it , we never discussed that! blaa blaa blaaa “
9. Be assertive in communication
When you speak, people should feel that you are confident about what your are speaking! Avoid using filler words (“aaaaa” , “mmmmm” ) and speak to the point. This will help you gain the people’s trust easily which will help you in the long run.
10. Never commit anything before analysing
When we are happy, we commit things easily. Beware of this in the Corporate World!! People will often ask for commitments looking at your mood. For every commitment you make , be sure that you are not letting the emotions interfere and thorough analysis has been done. It will save you from nightmares later. Don’t let a short term excitement lead to a long term life imbalance.
11. Never share your credentials with anyone
Never ever share you passwords with anyone no matter how close you get along. There is nothing wrong in keeping the passwords confidential and denying to share it. In case something can be done only with your ID, and is a small task , do it yourself!! If it is a big task, ask the access for others as well. But it is highly recommended never to share passwords.
12. Avoid inserting your finger in your mouth or nose!
When people see anyone doing such things , they feel uncomfortable while shaking hands with that person. Also, it doesn’t create a good image about you and people may start avoiding you. In case you want to do this “activity” please do it in the washroom! They exist!!
13. Maintain A Work-Life Balance
When we work we need to remember that we also have a life to live, for which we are working. Make a habit that you don’t work more than your routine hours frequently. Once a while it is okay to stay late in crisis, but if you continue to stay late , it will disturb your work life balance and in the long run , will further reduce your productivity. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance helps in maintaining good health. It is also important to take out some time for doing exercise in order to stay healthy.
14. Don’t open up on your financial liabilities
This is one of the points which nobody talks about! It is advised that you should never speak about your financial liabilities like Loans with anyone. Imagine your boss comes to know that you have an ongoing loan and you spend more than half of your salary in repaying it each month. Imagine the pressure that you might be put into by taking undue advantage of the situation where the boss knows that you need that salary anyhow. So, it can turnout to be dangerous if the people in office come to know about your financial liabilities. It is recommended that even if you have a loan , speak as if you are debt free.
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