5 Signs You Don’t Have a Positive Reputation at Work (And What You Can Do About It)

Sometimes a poor reputation is undeserved; sometimes it is the result of actions you’ve taken, whether or not you were consciously aware of the act or its impact.

Regardless of the cause, here are five signs your reputation at work isn’t as strong as it could be – and what you can do about each of them.

People are hesitant to give you new projects.

If it’s tough to find new projects, or if folks find reasons to leave you off the team, they may think of you as someone who doesn’t pull their weight.

Address this by talking to your supervisor about why you may be overlooked for new projects and how to remedy those.

You unaware of what’s going on around you.

Being absent from work quickly leads to being “out of the loop,” which can make co-workers hesitant to rely on you. Even if you’re physically there, being mentally elsewhere can have the same effect.

To improve your presence and thus your reputation for reliability, find things that interest you on the job, and touch base with your co-workers and supervisor at least once a day when you can’t be in the office. In extreme cases, talk to a doctor about potential medical issues that might affect memory.

Everyone gossips to you, or no one does.

Being the office “drama magnet” can go one of two ways. Either you find that everyone tells you the latest gossip, or you find that people avoid telling you even the most basic details of their evenings or weekends. In either case, staff know they can’t trust you for anything but chatter.

In this situation, it’s time to put your head down and focus on work for a while. Get your “gossip fix” from celebrity magazines or social media – but never, ever mention it at work.

Certain “toxic phrases” have crept into your vocabulary.

If you find yourself saying “It won’t work because…” or “We already tried that” or “I don’t like doing it that way,” you’re damaging your reputation with co-workers and restricting your own ability to grow in your career.

Each time one of these phrases pops into your mind, “talk back” to it with a more constructive version: “Here’s a challenge we’ll need to address,” “Let’s try it again a bit differently,” or “I’m going to try doing it this way.”

You’re constantly being asked to do too much, all the time.

If you feel constantly put upon by requests to do tasks that fall under your job heading, one of two things may be happening: Either you’ve fallen into a negative, grumpy mindset, or you really are being overworked.

If it’s the former, your work reputation will suffer every time you give voice to the grumpiness. If it’s the latter, consider talking to a recruiter who can help you find a better work-life balance.

At THE RIGHT STAFF, LLC, our Twin Cities recruiters can help you focus on the right career path for you. To learn more about our services in Roseville and other Minnesota cities, contact us today.

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