Top 5 manager pet peeves and how not to become one

There are certain attitudes and personalities that managers tend to dislike. Our friends over at PhoneTipsAndTricks.com identify the primary pet peeves of managers and share what you need to do to avoid becoming one.

Like employees, managers also have personal preferences and a breaking point too. If we get annoyed by a co-worker who simply eats and chews his food loudly, imagine the frustration if you have to be in charge of a whole team that each has an annoying habit, plus excuses for poor work ethic.

Knowing what makes your manager tick can help you become a better employee. Although we generally know that being a good employee entails integrity, dedication and punctuality when it comes to work, there are other habits and excuses that are largely considered as pet peeves of most managers, such as:

1. Being a YES Man

We all know that saying yes to everything has negative consequences, and doing that in the workplace is no exception. Saying yes to everything that your manager tells you to do can lead to cramming and eventually, half-baked ideas and work output – something that most managers (and even former US President Barack Obama) hate the most.

Sure, you may want to impress your boss, but if you know you can’t handle it (or when the deadline is unrealistic), just say no. When managers sense that you are a “Yes Man”, they will eventually be hesitant to leave the most important tasks to you.

2. The “I’m Always Busy” Person

People who brag about being busy all the time may think that people are impressed at how much work they get done, but the truth is, being busy does not always translate to being productive.

Good managers would prefer employees who knows how to manage their time well and have a good work-life balance. Employees who have a healthy schedule are happier employees and even have higher levels of productivity.

If you think you tend to get very busy at work because of little tasks such as emails, document filing and other clerical work, you must now learn to organize which of these are most important, so you can clear up more time for major tasks. If you spend more than an hour at simply replying to emails, then you may need to lessen this activity.

3. The Show Stealer

This is NOT about the employee who looks like they just got off the fashion runway before going to work each day – this is about employees who put the limelight on themselves during every meeting. Running a company is not a one-man show, and employees who always put their ideas forward without considering others’ input is someone that most managers don’t really like.

Managers would rather want to see cooperation from a team. A group effort is more likely a well-thought out idea compared to something that is only decided by one person.

If you think your idea is really good, tell it to the group first and ask what their perspective is. Chances are, they may be able to spot the flaws in your idea and improve it with their own input.

4. Drama Queens

Managers also don’t like it when employees tend to gossip or chit chat about negative things – whether that be about work or their personal lives. Most especially, managers don’t like it when an employee incites divisiveness in the workplace instead of good, friendly and professional teamwork.

Creating drama only brings out negativity and could ultimately affect employee productivity, and managers don’t want that.

Managers would most likely appreciate when employees fix problems the professional and mature way, and not via passive-aggressive behavior, blackmailing and excessive social media attention.

5. Chronic Whiners

We all have things to complain about, it could be about how bad your sales were, how your office computer is too slow, and how this co-worker is always late. Although it is good to easily spot problems in the office, but constantly whining about it without offering solutions could annoy not just co-workers, but managers as well.

Even though they may share the same sentiment as yours, managers would appreciate it if you step up as a problem solver, and not just remain a serial complainant that merely spreads negativity and bad vibes in the workplace.

All in all, managers have more important things to take care of. It is counter-productive for them if they have to micro-manage their employees each time, especially when some of them tend to be very difficult people.

As an employee, you don’t have to show off or prove yourself to be the most highly-skilled individual in the office. Managers already assume that you have good skills – that is why you were hired in the first place. What you need to show is good attitude since this will put you above the rest.