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At work, you spent most of your day and naturally become comfortable with the surroundings. But sometimes, getting too comfortable can lead to the formation of bad habits and make you appear unprofessional. According to the human resource professionals that there are dozens of things beyond clutter that make you look unprofessional.
Following are the things that you need to be aware of:
Bringing lunch to work:
Your desk is the first place where anyone comes to contact you. When you leave food containers and half of a mug collection there, it brings down your look as a professional. Do not keep items you use for eating scattered all over your place because it shows lack of respect for your coworkers and the shared office place.
Sticky notes:
Although, there are a lot of articles that suggest leaving sticky notes at your desk so that you can see them often and remember what your goals are. But research has proved them as the most annoying distraction in the workplace. Instead of sticky notes, invest in a portable notebook and a pen to keep all your reminders at one place.
Decorating your cubicle:
Decorating your working area to give it a look of a personalized space also makes it look inappropriate in the eyes of your managers and colleagues. Therefore, avoid putting any kinds of images no matter they are of cartoons.
Keeping your purse open:
This is the most indecent behavior that makes you look extremely unprofessional in everyone’s eyes. If your purse if open and placed on your desk, it looks careless and invites a fraudulent behavior. If your company does not provide you with a proper place to keep your things then hang it on a purse hook if allowed.
Political pamphlets:
You should be very careful that no matter how passionate you are about the people you want to vote in politically fraught times, do not keep anything on your desk that promotes your affiliation. It makes you look extremely inappropriate and unprofessional in the workplace.
Keeping toys:
It is viewed very critically by your colleagues and manager when you keep toys of any kind at your desk. You may think of keeping them because you like them but others see it as you are not ready to move to the next level in your career.
Putting toiletries:
Items such as deodorants, makeup, or toothbrushes have no place on your desk and give the impression that you care more about your appearance then your work. If necessary, keep a bag of grooming suppliers in a bag that is not visible on the desk.
Cigarettes:
Taking a cigarette break in the office is regarded as highly unprofessional and does not bring a good impact on your overall performance. Even the smell of the cigarettes that are not lit can create issues for your colleagues so avoid placing any on your desk.
Via: Business Insider
