Your sloppy work tops the list.
Want to get on your manager’s good side? Don’t let the details slide.
In a new survey by staffing firm Accountemps, 35 percent of chief financial officers cited poor attention to detail or sloppy work as the most annoying behavior by co-workers. For 28 percent of respondents, gossiping or engaging in office politics was their biggest pet peeve, marking a 5 percent increase from a similar survey in 2011.
Missing deadlines (17 percent), being late (12 percent) and presenting others’ ideas as one’s own (8 percent) rounded out the top five workplace pet peeves.
To meet expectations for work quality — and avoid earning a reputation as a sloppy worker — Accountemps suggests professionals apply the following five strategies:
Reduce distractions. Set aside dedicated time to focus solely on a task, while avoiding outside noise like texts and emails.
Simplify big projects. The mad dash to meet the deadline on a massive project makes it easier for mistakes to happen. Avoid this scenario by dividing work into smaller, more manageable tasks.
Take a break. Spending long hours on the computer can be exhausting. A short pause during the workday or stepping out of the office can help give fresh perspective when returning later to the assignment.
Enlist help from co-workers. Build time into the process for a trusted colleague to provide a second pair of eyes to check accuracy and work quality.
Take time to assess expectations. Meet briefly with your manager at the start of a complex assignment to discuss goals and clarify any outstanding issues.
Editor’s note: Love this sort of list? Check out 10 weird things people did during a job interview and 10 reasons millennials quit their jobs.