Dramatic scenes in TV shows and movies showing employees throwing chairs or quitting after a full-fledged tantrum are probably rare occurrences in real life. However, there are less severe — yet equally damaging — behaviors that can irrevocably change the way people think of you at work and harm your career.
The following nine behaviors to avoid at work come from Forbes.
1. Telling lies. Even lies told with good intentions tend to grow and spread until they are found out. Being caught in a lie can be permanently damaging to your credibility and have negative impacts on self-esteem.
2. Gossiping. Gossip can hurt the feelings of the victim and damage relationships if it gets back to them. Additionally, talking about other people's misdeeds or misfortunes puts you in a very negative light.
3. Complaining about your job. Complaining at work labels you as a negative person and can even bring down the morale of others. Bosses notices complainers and know there are always more enthusiastic candidates who can replace them.
4. Emotional hijacking. Emotional hijacking, or exploding at others — throwing things, screaming and bringing people to tears — demonstrates low emotional intelligence, turns negative attention your way and is an easy way to get fired, according to Forbes. As soon as you display emotional hijacking, people will question your emotional stability, trustworthiness and ability to maintain calm and focus during periods of high stress. You will also come off as unapproachable and intimidating, which can make working with others awkward and difficult down the road.
5. Accepting credit and praise for another colleague's work. Taking credit for someone else's work gives others the impression that you couldn't accomplish something as significant on your own and that you don't care about your relationships with your team.
6. Bragging. Accomplishing something great at work but carrying on as usual demonstrates confidence and that success is what you expect for yourself. In contrast, bragging about an accomplishment shows others you "haven't hit very many home runs," according to Forbes. Bragging is also irritating to others.
7. Betraying a colleague. Stabbing a colleague in the back, whether intentionally or not, can damage work relationships beyond repair. One of the most common forms of betrayal is going over someone's head to resolve an issue. While this is often done to avoid conflict, even more conflict is usually the result, according to Forbes.
8. Bringing a stinky lunch. Typical office etiquette says any food with an odor that can travel beyond the kitchen door should be saved for home. While you might enjoy your tuna sandwich, your co-worker sitting next to you probably doesn't want to smell it. Although your lunch choice may not seem like a big deal, causing your co-workers discomfort can lead to resentment.
9. Ruining relationships. One of the greatest takeaways of any job is the connections and relationships established. Even if you don't like your co-workers or management, leaving a job in an unprofessional or offensive way ruins all of these relationships and will make for incredibly awkward encounters when you bump into them at industry events in the future.