After a while it’s perfectly normal to get ah…comfortable at your job especially if you’re happy with your position and like your co-workers. This can be a good thing – But sometimes you are so content it’s easy to start acting more like you’re at home or with friends than at work. The predicament is you are at work, not at home and being overly casual can give your business a bad reputation for making customers feel uncomfortable and driving them away. Here are the 5 biggest offenders.

Swearing – There is no occasion where bad language makes you look good at work, or well anywhere really, but if you must… save it for when you’re off the clock.  Profanity makes you look plain stupid, like you aren’t clever enough to express yourself.  Cursing is the fastest way to destroy your credibility and once you’ve lost that, it will be hard to prove to people that you know what you’re talking about. You’ll get a lot further in any situation by using humor instead.

Personal Space – When you are at ease with your co-workers or regular customers especially in an environment where you are trying to build rapport, you may find yourself unconsciously standing TOO CLOSE to others. This is unacceptable in the workplace, no matter how casual the environment. Depending on the situation the proper amount of space to leave between you and anyone else is 15” to 3’ depending on the person. Wondering how much space is right? Watch the other person’s body language and pay attention to what your instincts are telling you.

Taboo Topics – C’mon! You’re at work! We know you can feel umm…passionately about these subjects but politics and religion and sex are off the table. After all getting slapped with a harassment suit is no laughing matter.  While you’re at it refuse to participate in gossip. Tempting as it is, those juicy tidbits shared at the water cooler not only cause resentment but can produce a wave of backlash from management.

Yelling – and losing your cool is unprofessional and distasteful, keep a cool head and practice reasoning when you feel your blood beginning to boil.  And shouting across the room to get someone’s attention is truly embarrassing! Just don’t do it.

Interrupting – Ugh! Interrupting says you think what you have to say is more important than anyone else.  It’s a bad habit that leads to bad communication and missed opportunities. It speaks of a lack of respect and poor listening skills. If you realize this is a part of your routine – break it. Brush up on your listening skills by making sure you are paying 100% attention to what the speaker is saying and not thinking of what you want to say next. Also try waiting 3 seconds after someone has finished speaking to add your own 2 cents.