Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables - Spanish Proverb

There were methods like Kaizen and others, implemented in organizations at a huge cost and with the single motive of enhancing productivity. But it is very difficult to change human nature.

Bad habits, no wonder, are still common on both the professional and personal front. It is a different matter that while some habits are more obvious than others, they may not be too detrimental. However, employees caught in the act may suffer the consequence of getting a bad reputation, which may also not be good for one’s career.

Given below are some work habits which reduce and hamper productivity, and which one should always try to break:

1) Improper planning:
When it comes to work, most people don’t have their agenda in place for the day, week or month. There are no set goals on what they want to achieve. They simply reach their workplace and then decide on the work to be executed.“Lack of planning of the day at work or at the job is one of the most ‘non-productive’ habits at the workplace. This can, however, be rectified by a simple basic discipline of starting the day with some basic agenda in place.

2) Carrying a chip on the shoulder:
When you feel that you are more superior to others and as a result of this, don’t give an ear to others’ thoughts, ideas and work and don’t feel the importance of including others in your work because of the feeling of greatness, you are doing more harm to yourself than to anyone else.

3) Not making notes/ filing information:
A large amount of time is wasted at the work place as well as in normal life as we don’t maintain notes or records. Most of the young people in the corporate world do not make notes of conversations they had with clients or peers.Then it becomes Most of the time like a Chinese whisper game.And hence a large amount of time goes waste in trying to retrieve information.

4) Mail game:
A large chunk of people seem to be using mails to determine the work they need to do and is also following ‘if the inbox is empty, the work is done’ kind of philosophy. Experts point out that mails are to be treated as facilitators to the work we do, not the work we need to do.

5) Not being a team player:
Just being intelligent and good at your tasks is hardly good enough to make a difference or grow in an organization. One need to be be a good teal player...one cannot be uncooperative.

6) Not adapting to the office culture:
Sometimes some employees find themselves unable to adjust to the working environment and start working the way they wish and without any proper order or mechanism. However, not being able to adapt to the culture of the workplace in turn brings dissatisfaction to everyone – including the employer, employees and others.

7) Lack of punctuality:
Tardiness is widely regarded as an HR problem.In a professional work environment, reaching late to office and even in interdepartmental meetings can cause enough damage to one’s career. A big irritant to many, this also impacts productivity.

8) Improper time management
A poor time management skill is a habit that needs to be worked upon if one is looking up to rise up the ladder.

9) Loose talk:
The only way to grow up the ranks is performance and good honest talk. Gossip mongering and loose talk doesn’t help.

10) No sense of responsibility/ownership:
When a person shuns away from his work and doesn’t feel responsible for his/her activities or refuses to take ownership of his acts and failures, this may hamper one’s growth in the long run.