5 Signs you’re a Bad Corrections EmployeeBy Tracy E. Barnhart
Here are five signs that you might be the one pushing your coworkers to the limits of their sanity and you may be the problem inside your institutions:
1.You dump last-minute work on people when you could have avoided doing so.
There will always be projects that pop up at the last minute, but don’t be the coworker who sits on something and doesn’t assign it out until late in the game. You’ll come across as inconsiderate, and maybe disorganized, too. Are you the employee that says, “I’m not doing that?” Or are you one who helps out the team when you are called upon to do so? There will always be those last minute jobs or tasks where someone will need to step up and take one for the team.
2.You complain about people without telling them your beefs directly.
We’ve all had the frustrating feeling of discovering that a coworker is complaining to others about something we did, but won’t bother to come talk to us about it directly. When you talk to someone directly, not only do you act more fairly by giving them the chance to know about your complaint and to respond to it, but you may also learn new information that makes you see things in a different light. Are you the institution gossip or rumor starter? Inside prisons this is the biggest moral killer that causes the most dysfunction and work stoppages. Everyone wants to get the latest news on who is doing who but keep this for later on your Face book chats.
3.You exude negativity.
Suggestions, new practices, and the new guy down the hall-you hate them all and you make sure people know it. You may think that you’re demonstrating your value by pointing out flaws all the time, but if you find fault in every suggestion, you’ll lose credibility, and eventually people will start finding ways to avoid your input altogether. Are you the one who criticizes the administration without knowing all the information? Are you only negative about where you work? Know this; everyone needs a job, but not everyone needs this job. If you hate your chosen career so much quit… I don’t believe anyone is twisting your arm to stay. If you hate it so much walk away and do something you like better.
4.You bring your personal life to the office in ways that make people uncomfortable.
For instance, I used to work with someone who was constantly making personal calls that involved yelling and swearing at the person on the other end. Crying wasn’t unheard of either. She never noticed that everyone around her was cringing in discomfort. In this environment your personal life could lead to manipulations and problems. Your personal life needs to stay outside the gates. Nuf said.
5.You’re chronically defensive.
You bristle at the slightest hint that your work wasn’t perfect-even when the hint is imagined. As a result, your coworkers spend more time trying to avoid you than talking to you because they don’t want to deal with your prickliness. Take criticism with a grain of salt. Look at what they are saying and then look at yourself. Could you do it better or was it done wrong? Use it as a betterment example and always think, change is good.
If you recognize yourself in any of the above habits, you may be the irritating coworker that colleagues are complaining about. Try a one-month moratorium on the behavior and see if any of your relationships or performances evaluations improve. You might find that you are the reason you don’t like your job..
