New Year’s Resolutions for the Workplace

It’s that time again; time to say goodbye to the old and usher in the new. Have you thought about your 2025 New Year’s resolutions? Maybe one of them is to shed those extra pounds or to eat healthier. Resolutions to improve your health or relationships are common, but have you thought about resolutions pertaining to your professional life? Let’s talk about some not-so-good habits you may have been exhibiting in the workplace and may need changing in the upcoming new year.

Bad work habits are recurrent behaviors or patterns that can disrupt productivity resulting in poor job performance and can negatively impact professional interactions/relationships. Good work habits, on the other hand, can promote productivity and foster positive professional relationships which boosts career satisfaction. Breaking the bad and forming the good is a goal toward which to strive in 2025.

Procrastination is the top bad work habit. Putting off a task until the last minute creates undue stress on both you and your co-workers. If your procrastination causes a last-minute scurry by others involved, you won’t be flavor of the day and will be the first blamed if the goal isn’t met. Try to avoid this by breaking up the task into smaller parts or handle it in stages.

Lying is an obvious bad work habit. Have you ever been tempted to fudge on your time sheet or billable hours; inflate your expense account or misuse that company credit card? DON’T! You want to reflect integrity and foster trust in your co-workers and employer. If you’re tempted, force yourself to think about the consequences and the harmful effects it could have upon others.

Negativity is never positive. While it’s normal to have bad days, routinely having a poor attitude impacts your work performance. Focus on the root of the problem and take steps to remedy it by talking with your manager or rearranging priorities.

Are you consistently late to work, meetings, or stretch out break time? This is often construed as complacency and disrespecting other’s time. Teach yourself time awareness by visually tracking your time to monitor time usage. Make it a goal to be early rather than late.

It’s easy to be perceived as abrupt or rude in email and texts. Be aware of your tone. While it’s important to timely respond to your emails, checking too often can interrupt your

workflow and reduce productivity. Set aside specific times to review and respond to your communications.

Want to quickly check the recent posts on Facebook? Resist doing so while at work. Spending too much time on non-work websites is a sure way to attract the ire of your manager.

Pay attention to your body language. Do you routinely roll your eyes or avoid eye contact? Wipe that frown from your face. Non-verbal cues are an important part of communication. You don’t want to be perceived as unprofessional or outright rude.

Try to keep your attention focused and avoid distractions. Don’t create distractions for your co-workers either. Monitor your chit-chat, don’t use the speakerphone for your conversations, and don’t be tempted to skip the shower after your workout. (Eek!) Your co-workers will appreciate your thoughtfulness and courtesy.

Poor grammar, slang and profanity should be avoided in a work environment. You don’t want to be seen as uneducated or offensive. Always assume the boss is within earshot.

Do you value your independent nature? While that may be positive in some situations, it isn’t always positive in a work environment. You want to be seen as a team player; it fosters good work relationships. Always give credit where credit is due. Don’t take credit for someone else’s work. Practice volunteering to help or doing a job that isn’t necessarily in your job description.

Control your temper. Throwing a tantrum at work can be interpreted as you not being able to handle responsibility or caving into pressure. It’s important too, to leave your personal problems at home.

Clamp a lid on it. Talking too much is a sign of inefficiency and can be annoying to work colleagues. Wasting time and being disorganized also impacts productivity. Make sure to balance social interactions with focused work time. Organize your environment and address tasks in order of importance.

Think before you speak. Saying the wrong thing in either written or spoken communication can have a long-lasting impact on your work relationships and career.

Be cognizant of your manners. Use the words please, thank you and excuse me. Tactfulness incorporates the adage “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”.

As you face the coming New Year, reflect on any behavior that significantly reduces your professionalism, productivity, or ability to effectively work with colleagues and management. Be honest about which needs changing. Accept constructive feedback from co-workers and/or management. Increase your chances of that promotion or create greater job security by modifying your habits. Changing small things can improve your work environment and interactions. Happy New Year and good luck!