How to Ruin Your Reputation in the Workplace

It can take years to build your reputation. But a moment is enough to ruin it. With the availability of so many social networking platforms on the internet and more and more people being a part of them, it is never too hard to ruin your work reputation. There are multiple ways to destroy your reputation in the workplace. There are opportunities for blogging about your boss, twittering about your consumers and updating your status on Facebook among others. However, if you are not too careful and avoid the online conversation etiquettes and work ethics, you can instantly ruin your reputation.

 

Communicating through emails
Being a very sensitive area, sending emails can either build of ruin your reputation in moments. Emails reflect how sensitive you are to the office culture. It shows how you respect others' time in the workplace. Suppose, you are continuously being cc'd on emails that have no relevance to your work. What or how will you feel? You will definitely start doubting the sender's discernment. The ‘Reply to All' option while sending emails should be used extremely carefully. You need to consider the broad audience to whom the email will be sent. And if the email is sent out of organizational tension, it can prove to be really devastating for your workplace reputation and career.

 

In case you want to deal with organizational issues or other controversial issues, it would be wise to avoid large-audience emails. Once an email has been sent to a wide audience, it can never be undone. Therefore, you need to be extremely wise and careful while communicating through emails. Always avoid insensitive and unwise email communication, as it will not only make a negative impact on your co-workers but it will also destroy your reputation in the workplace.

 

At the meetings, in the public eye
Yet another dangerous zone where you can easily ruin or destroy your reputation is in the public eye or at the meetings in the workplace. New joinees or younger hires make the mistake of quickly raising a hand as soon as they find the opportunity. They do this only to make themselves look smart among other experienced workers or colleagues. Quick responses in workplace meetings to look good are not helpful. It only reflects badly on your personality and may ruin your reputation. The best option for new hires is to display qualities like attentiveness and inquisitiveness. It is never wise to interrupt or embarrass your boss in a workplace meeting. It will only chip away at your reputation.

 

Yes, if you are one of those young professionals who wish to make their mark, you should always feel free to ask more questions, when provided with the opportunity. It is important for employees to understand the rules of behavior. While in a public setting it is also important to have your boss's back.

 

Workplace relationships
Who doesn't want to be a superstar in the workplace? It is human nature and there's nothing wrong with becoming the best. The point is you do not achieve this stardom at the expense of the team you work with. Employees who focus too much on building and nurturing their relationships with their boss or manager affect the relationship that they share with their co-workers. Many new hires and younger professionals believe that their success in the workplace is dependent upon their boss rather than their colleagues. You might get promoted by impressing your boss. But, how will you deal with colleagues who don't want to work under you?

 

Therefore, you need to understand the value of both relationships and strike the right balance so that it does not affect your reputation in the workplace. Relationships are always crucial to building your work reputation. It is important to know how to keep your reputation intact. But, what's more important is to know about things that could potentially ruin or damage it.