10 Ways to Avoid Trouble (At Work)

On the heels of my last post, I realized (due to an incident in the office today) that the last bit of advice I gave about staying out of trouble works for staying out of trouble in general, but at work, you need another list. Here it is:

1. If you have an issue with someone, take them aside in a private place and work it out. Seek a mediator if needed.
2. Don't gossip. It will get around and people will be leery about working with you if you are known as the company gossip. Famous last words..."don't tell anyone I told you this but..."
3. Put nice things in writing. If you have something not nice to say, say it to the person in private. The first thing I was handed today when I went into the office was a copy of an email, a not really nice email about someone, that was supposed to be a private rant and was subsequently forwarded to apparently half the people in the city. I'm surprised it wasn't posted on FaceBook. Not good.
4. Don't make threats. At the least, you may have to eat your words, and at the worst, they could be used against you in a court of law.
5. Keep your private life relatively private. It is hard not to share details of your life with your coworkers because you are often around them more than you are with your own family, however, you don't want your private life to become fodder for gossips.
6. Don't be a slacker. While there are some tips and tricks that will allow you to make your mid day tee time without people missing you at the office, many people just plain slack off (ie: come in late, leave early, miss project deadlines, need to be reminded about work they need to be doing, etc). Don't be that person.
7. Always take the high road and don't do anything that could even be perceived as shady. Many an embezzler has started out raiding the petty cash fund, intending to pay it back. Once you justify one lapse, it is easier to justify bigger, more illegal, things.
8. Always think safety and preparedness. I am amazed at how many people leave their iPhone, purse, wallet, etc. laying out on their desk in an office full of people where strangers came and go as well. That is just asking to be ripped off. Even though you are in your office as much (or more) than you are at your home, your office is not your home and you still need to exercise a good deal of safety and preparedness precautions.
9. Do not, under any circumstance, use your work computer/cell phone/etc. to access porn or other NSFW stuff. It will come back and bite you in the ass.
10. Don't stress yourself out at work. You can't avoid the occasional stressor, but if you are continually on the verge of a nervous breakdown at work, you either need to change your attitude or change your job. You don't want to give yourself an early heart attack or end up going postal. Bad stuff.

Staying out of trouble, no matter where you are, is really not that hard once you set a standard for yourself.

p.s. Set your standard fairly high.