5 things you need to stop doing at staff meetings

Office staff meetings are the most opportune times to leave a lasting impression of your hard work and dedication on your boss as well as your colleagues. Demonstrate your commitment towards an ongoing project to your supervisors but make sure you don't do it at the expense of your relationship with your co-workers. You need to build strong and lasting relationships with your mangers but you also need to be a team player. If you estrange your co-workers, you'll soon find that the management views you as a problem employee. Before you decide to make some important points at the next staff meeting, here are a few things you should keep in mind if you don't want to offend your teammates.

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Don't hijack the meeting

In your attempt to prove your merits to your boss, don't end up monopolising the meeting by talking endlessly on topics that don't concern the other team members in the room. Never give your co-workers the impression that you're trying to take credit for their accomplishments or they'll get exasperated by your tendency of wanting to take centre stage all the time.

Don't be boastful

When your manager asks for an update on a particular project, don't go on and on about your contributions and accomplishments. Sometimes, it is better to be modest instead of taking all the credit for yourself. When you acknowledge your colleagues who have worked hard on the project, you boss will be impressed with your ability to promote your team members and will view you as a team player.

Don't argue for no reason

Having a healthy debate is a good thing but if you're always picking fights with your team members at staff meetings, you're likely to incur the displeasure of your bosses. If you feel the need to correct an employee's misstatement, do it in private as people are bound to launch to their own defence when corrected in public.

Don't be glued to your mobile

One of the worst things you can do during staff meetings is checking your smartphone every five minutes. Not only is using your phone a distraction to those seated nearby but is also disrespectful to the person addressing the team. It is therefore best to put your phone on silent to avoid any distraction of checking incoming messages.

Don't complain needlessly

If you're frustrated with certain policies of the company, the last place you should be giving voice to those frustrations is at staff meetings. A person who complains constantly and unnecessarily is seen as someone who is responsible for bringing down the morale of an entire team. This individual is then effectively removed from all talks of promotions and raises, which can affect his career adversely.

Staff meetings can get complicated. However, if you know how to navigate through them, you can use these meetings to bond with your team members and impress your bosses.