10 Signs You're A Bad Employee

Flickr/hawker kingIf you live by your own rules at work, you're not going to remain employed for very long.Confidence and self-esteem in the workplace can go a long way. Too much of either, though, and you may end up being the dreaded "problem employee."

If you've got an inflated sense of self-worth or are just ignorant of how your bosses and co-workers perceive you, you could be dragging your team down without even realizing it.

Want to find out if you're the office outcast? Take a look at the list below.

1. You're always late.

Maybe you just happen to move slowly in the morning, the line at your favorite lunch place adds 10 minutes to your break, or important calls seem to always come up before meetings. Whatever the case, rationalizing it won't help your reputation. Habitually poor time management will make your boss see you as selfish, disrespectful, unreliable, and disorganized.

2. You make a lot of excuses.

People take notice when your excuses for why you can't do something outnumber the times you successfully do your work. And if problems you can't solve do arise during the day, communicate them to your boss and colleagues immediately and honestly.

3. You complain about unexpected assignments.

Nobody likes the surprise of extra work, but if you regularly communicate your dissatisfaction with grumbling or even an explicit denial of the assignment, you will be labeled as someone with a poor work ethic.

4. You love to gossip.

Getting the inside scoop on your colleagues can be hard to resist, and sharing all your problems with coworkers can be cathartic. But after time, rumors and complaints will be associated with you, and you will lose the respect of your peers.

5. You're convinced you're the smartest person in the office.

Let's just assume that you are as brilliant as you think you are; you're still part of a team. And arrogant employees who don't respect the corporate hierarchy aren't going to last very long.

6. You don't believe in your company's mission or values.

If you're regularly making snarky remarks about what your employer stands for, your colleagues will likely have a hard time trusting your judgment on decisions. If you separate yourself from your company, then your employer is going to catch on and could separate from you.

7. You're noticeably less productive than your colleagues.

If your boss seems to be spending more time with you than your coworkers, and they're constantly having to assist you, your employer may eventually determine that trying to improve your performance is a waste of time and money.

8. Your colleagues clearly don't enjoy working with you.

If it seems like coworkers aren't making eye contact with you or are uncomfortable when working with you on a project, it may actually be because they are afraid of you, or at least categorize you as a bad team-player. If you're too aggressive or pushy, you'll come to be seen as a "lone wolf" that no one wants to deal with.

9. You find yourself regularly apologizing to clients - or having your boss do it for you.

Everyone makes mistakes, but if it seems like your customers are regularly dissatisfied with your work, your employer is going to start seeing you as a danger to the company.

10. You can't take "no" for an answer.

If you find yourself defending your idea even after everyone has expressed they disagree with it, you'll start to be seen as a troublemaker. Sometimes you just need to let things go for the sake of the team.