5 ways to lose your co-workers’ respect

Building a rapport with your co-workers so you can all nicely coexist requires a delicate balance. But some people get a little too comfortable while building a rapport, and it can be to the detriment of their co-workers’ respect.

Here are five little-known factors that can cause your co-workers to lose respect for you:

1. Using the word “try.”

As Brad Hoover wrote on CNN Money, you should not utter this word. It “simply shows a lack of belief, passion, commitment, and confidence—all the qualities you need to succeed in today’s tight job market.” Instead, Hoover suggests using “words like do, believe, act, tackle, accomplish, or succeed.”

2. Saying “that’s not my job.”

In a tight economy, many businesses are frustratingly understaffed. People are taking on the work of former co-workers whose positions have since been eliminated. Since everyone is pitching in and helping in all areas of the business, it can raise stress levels in a workplace when someone declares, “that’s not my job.”