Why should you want to be a better employee? Well, maybe you would like a promotion, a raise or just your own office? Would you like to gain self respect as well as the respect of you peers or your supervisors? You might even want to keep the job you have! You can, by paying attention to just a few simple things.
Get to work on time
Whenever time your works starts, or shifts starts, be ready to work. If this means arriving 10 to 15 minutes earlier, then do it. Nothing is more frustrating to a boss than to have employees walk in the door at exact time to start work and then take as much as 30 minutes to get oriented to produce.
Dress appropriately
Whatever attire is appropriate for your work, be clean and neat. There are employees who come to work wearing clothing that looked like they had spent the night sleeping in them.Casual clothing is accepted in most work places today, but, nothing says more about you than clean and pressed! If you do not use a cleaning service, use an iron. Pressed shirts and slacks command respect.
Ask what your job responsibilities are
If your position does not have a job description handbook, ask what your specific job duties are to be. Do not assume that you know them and let someone, possibly your supervisor or a co-worker explain just what is expected of you. Asking can eliminate possible confusion and difficulties on a new job. If at some point you become unaware of what to do next, notify the proper person and continue doing "something productive" until the next step is explained to you. Do not just sit and wait!
Give at least eight hours of productive work
Very few people have the ability to give an employer eight full hours of productivity; the norm is about six hours. There are always interruptions, times of confusion, questioned to answered, phone calls, etc that interfere with productivity. Many companies have additional seminars available to help establish work ethics for their employees. Take advantage of any and all available to you and your productivity will increase. Time is money to a corporate ladder and will allow you to be home more often (on time) as productivity during the work day will eliminate the necessary for over-time work.
Help others
If you finish your designated work, offer to help someone else. Your assistance could be beneficial to someone under a tight deadline and co-workers always appreciate offers for assistance.
Leave 'personal' time at home
While you are at work...work! Leave personal messages, phone calls, making personal appointments, etc to your break time or lunchtime. If you must take care of personal business that cannot wait until after work or an the weekend, ask for personal time off for those situations. Again, time is money to a company and it is important that each employee fulfill the designated job they were hired to do.
