As someone who has held a variety of jobs for varying amounts of time I’ve found myself wondering at times if it was just me or if there was something wrong with the company. MSN recently released an article with the top 10 reasons why people lose their jobs. Two of these stood out to me the most. Number Two and number Five.
1. Possessing Poor People Skills
A little likeability can go a long way. Studies by both the Harvard Business Review and Fast Company magazine show that people consistently and overwhelmingly prefer to work with likeable, less-skilled co-workers than with highly competent jerks. Researchers found that if employees are disliked, it’s almost irrelevant whether they’re good at what they do, because other workers will avoid them.
2. Not Being a Team Player
No one feels comfortable around a prima donna. And organizations have ways of dealing with employees who subvert the team. Just ask Philadelphia Eagles Wide Receiver Terrell Owens, who was suspended for the 2005 season after repeatedly clashing and taking public shots at his teammates and management. Show you’re a team player by making your boss look like a star and demonstrating that you’ve got the greater good of the organization at heart.
3. Missing Deadlines
If the deadline is Wednesday, first thing Thursday won’t cut it. Organizations need people they can depend on. Missing deadlines is not only unprofessional, it can play havoc with others’ schedules and make your boss look bad. When making commitments, it’s best to under-promise and over-deliver. Then, pull an all-nighter if you have to. It’s that important.
4. Conducting Personal Business on Company Time
The company e-mail and phone systems are for company business. Keep personal phone calls brief and few — and never take a call that will require a box of tissues to get through. Also, never type anything in an e-mail that you don’t want read by your boss; many systems save deleted messages to a master file. And we can’t tell you how many poor souls have gotten fired for hitting the “Reply All” button and disseminating off-color jokes — or worse yet — rants about their boss for all to see.
5. Isolating Yourself
Don’t isolate yourself. Develop and use relationships with others in your company and profession. Those who network effectively have an inside track on resources and information and can more quickly cut through organizational politics. Research shows effective networkers tend to serve on more successful teams, get better performance reviews, receive more promotions and be more highly compensated.
6. Starting an Office Romance
Unless you’re in separate locations, office romances are a bad idea. If you become involved with your boss, your accomplishments and promotions will be suspect; if you date a subordinate, you leave yourself open to charges of sexual harassment. And if it ends badly, you’re at risk of everyone knowing about it and witnessing the unpleasantness.
7. Fearing Risk or Failure
If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will. Have a can-do attitude and take risks. Instead of saying, “I’ve never done that,” say, “I’ll learn how.” Don’t be afraid to fail or make mistakes. If you do mess up, admit it and move on. Above all, find the learning opportunities in every situation. Remember, over time, risk-aversion can be more hazardous to your career than error.
8. Having No Goals
Failure doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal, but in not having a goal to reach. Set objectives and plan your daily activities around achieving them. Eighty percent of your effectiveness comes from 20 percent of your activities. Manage your priorities and focus on those tasks that support your goals.
9. Neglecting Your Image
Fair or not, appearance counts. People draw all kinds of conclusions from the way you present yourself. So don’t come to work poorly groomed or in inappropriate attire. Be honest, use proper grammar and avoid slang and expletives. You want to project an image of competence, character and commitment.
10. Being Indiscreet
Cubicles, hallways, elevators, bathrooms — even commuter trains — are not your private domain. Be careful where you hold conversations and what you say to whom. Don’t tell off-color jokes, reveal company secrets, gossip about co-workers or espouse your views on race, religion or the boss’ personality. Because while there is such a thing as free speech, it’s not so free if it costs you your job!
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I’m sorry but when it comes to making your boss a star, well if your boss is a total jackass I don’t see the point in bending over backwards for them. At one place I worked at my refusal to bend over backwards and pull continuous free shifts forced heavy discord between me and the area manager and I eventually quit. Sorry, but because you’re too cheap to hire on more help when needed and you refuse to pay anyone over time does not mean I have to work free hours every shift to compensate for you. Once or twice maybe, going on two weeks? Bite me. And if that means I’m too solitary and not a team player than I’m glad to be both!
That would be an excellent investment I think. Personally I’d also like to see them send of those funds to their tech department as well. The website design, while pleasing to the eyes is unbelievably slow. Specifically the blogger’s control panel, opportunities page, and most surprisingly the login page. That login page is crazy. It has only the requisite login fields and yet still it takes almost as long as the blogger’s cpanel to load. Crazy! 
