Every day, people are fired, hired, and promoted. Which one of them do you aspire to be?
Workplace consultant Dr. ArLyne Diamond, president of Diamond Associates, points to four things that will get you fired -- and four activities that will get you promoted.
Four activities that will help get you fired are:
--Perpetual tardiness. Not showing up with prior notification can immediately tarnish your reputation regardless of how good you are at your job. This is an awful trait to gain on your workplace reputation and it can definitely limit your career prospects & money making opportunities.
--Dressing inappropriately. If you consistently pull a casual Friday on a Monday - Thursday in corporate America, you'll get on HR's radar quickly and for all the wrong reasons. Also, if you dress provocatively you could lose the respect of some co-workers.
--Surfing web and social media sites at work. Some employers keep records of all the web browsing and e-mail activity of their employees. If you are caught searching highly inappropriate sites during business hours, you can get immediately terminated. This is a tough one to explain to your next potential employer.
--Being a jerk. Berating or mistreating junior level employees or fellow co-workers is setting the karmic wheels in motions for your pink slip to be delivered on a silver platter and a chorus of cheers as you are escorted from the building.
Here are four activities that will help get you promoted:
--Early arrival. Get to work earlier, leave work later and show your employer that you have the initiative to be successful with the company. Prove to them that you're in it for the long haul.
--Save the day. Offer to cover for co-workers who need to take immediate time off or help co-workers on their endeavors. Being a go-to reliable employee is a treasured asset at any company and your value will rise in the eyes of many if you can become one.
--Network. Meet as many key people in the organization as possible, make friends with them, and ask lots of questions. Keep in contact with HR or people who recruit for the company.
--Be a good person. Pay compliments to co-workers when appropriate, offer to give others a lift to work, bring donuts to the office on occasion, and smile. If you're a pleasant person to be around, you'll likely have more co-workers going to bat for you when the boss decides whom to promote next.