8 Signs Youre the Toxic Co-Worker in the Office

8 Signs Youre the Toxic Co-Worker in the Office8 Signs Youre the Toxic Co-Worker in the Office Toxicity can transform an otherwise pleasant work environment into one in which productivity suffers, morale erodes and employees are looking for the first available lifeboat. Toxic bosses and co-workers can make or break an organization. We know who they are , as they typically make themselves easy to spot. But what if your company is staffed by a slate of seemingly awesome people? You might have lucked out, or perhaps your worst fears are finally being realized What if youre the toxic co-worker?Usually, youll have some sort of idea that youre disliked. But self-awareness is often lacking for many people. And in any case, stepping back and taking stock of your behavior at your workplace wouldnt hurt. It might help you identify some areas in which you could improve. That might mean working on your leadership or social skills, which are becoming more and more valuable in toda ys job market.So how can you tell whether you are the toxic co-worker? Here are eight telltale signs.Do you always seem to get left out when lunch invitations are handed out? Or perhaps there seems to be some sort of gravitational phenomenon in the break room where everybody else finds a chair away from you. Take that as a hint. People might be avoiding you, and thats a sign. Of course, this sort of social ostracizing probably hasnt gone unnoticed. So if you find yourself in a lonely and frustrating position, examine your behavior. Work on building relationships with your workmates.Are you absolutely killing it at work, hitting all of your marks and leaving the rest of the rubes in the dust? Sure, thats a good thing, but you might need to figure out why nobody else can keep up. Perhaps your success is coming at the expense of everyone else. Are you taking credit for other peoples work, swiping ideas, etc.? Thats a sure way to cement yourself as the arbeitszimmer pariah.Instead o f focusing on your own success all the time, work on lifting up those around you, building camaraderie and trying different strategies. This is a great way to work on your leadership skills and actually show the higher-ups that you can lead. If youre universally loathed, youre going to ansturm into the ceiling eventually. You wont be promotedinto a leadership position if no one respects you.If your life at work is starting to resemble that of a teenagers, you have some problems on your hands. Theres always going to be some level of drama. But if you truly want to be successful, youll ignore it. If you find yourself consistently at the center of some office spat , withdraw. Try to figure out what youre doing thats getting you into that position, and work on it.Leapfrogging off all of that office drama, if you find youre somehow always the victim, well, youre probably the problem. Stop playing the victim, and start solving problems. Change your frame of mind, and others will begin to respect you more. Leaders dont get promoted for blaming all of their issues on others or on things outside of their control. They take the reins. Genghis Khan wouldnt have played the victim card, and neither should you.Have you ever voiced an opinion or idea in a work meeting that brings the conversation to a crashing halt? That probably means you havent been paying attention to your colleagues. You might feel like your idea was the best for the group. But if its met with confused looks and awkward pauses you likely havent been listening. Instead of handing down one seemingly great pronouncement, collaborate more with your colleagues to give and take ideas . Show you value their opinions, and theyll begin to value yours.The office shouldnt be all work and no play. Whod want to be in that environment every day? Taking a few minutes to share some personal news or show a funny cat video is one thing. But constantly hanging on someones desk rambling on about everything under the sun i s another. If co-workers tend to run in the opposite direction to avoid being cornered by you and your chatty ways , youre probably bringing some level of toxicity to their lives. Save your chit-chat for the lunch hour or after work.Is it a given that youll be 15 minutes late every day? Do people not even expect a project from you by its due date, or do they avoid assigning you important tasks altogether? If your colleagues have given up on you doing things right, youre probably the toxic co-worker. You being unreliable frustrates everyone, even if it doesnt directly affect them. Its a matter of fairness. They got to work on time, so why should you get a pass? Hold yourself to the office standards to avoid being seen in this negative light.You might think its great that two of your colleagues pitched in at the last minute to help you get your work done. But outside of extraordinary circumstances, thats not normal. If everyone else can accomplish their workloads by themselves and o nly you receive help, youre probably seen as slow or untrustworthy.If your workload is unreasonable , you should present the issue to your boss and have potential solutions ready. But if people have to help you because your work is sloppy or sluggish, its up to you to shape up. Its not fair for your co-workers to have to keep an eye on you.This article was originally published on The Cheat Sheet . It is reprinted with permission.