Fifteen Ways to Keep Your Workplace Miserable

Whether you are in a union environment or working for a private company, there will always be issues in the workplace that need addressing. This can be issues regarding staffing levels, time off, training, wages, benefits, and so on....

Here are 15 ways to guarantee that your workplace will never get better.

1. Do not get involved in coming up with constructive methods of addressing your issues other than complaining about them. This includes not getting involved with your union as a shop steward. If you have a steward in your workplace, treat them with contempt and blame them for all the problems.
2. Approach all concerns from a position of ignorance and judgment.
3. Be a toxic worker in the workplace. Ensure that everyone knows just how bad things are and never set a positive example.
4. Do a poor job just to show your contempt.
5. Whine publicly at any occasion. This is especially effective at meetings.
6. When complaining, do so in a rant.
7. Never offer a solution and dismiss all suggestions.
8. Act like you're smarter than everyone - always point out errors in a public, pedantic, and condescending manner.
9. Join or form a clique that alienates and bullies the good staff.
10. Alienate any supervisory staff. Treat them like the enemy. If you do have a one-on-one discussion with a supervisor, tell them what they want to hear; you're bound to fool at least one.
11. Insist that your personal values are more important than the organization.
12. If you do offer a solution, make sure it's ridiculously impractical and self serving.  Better yet, start a major initiative, than bail out at a critical time and leave the workplace in a bigger mess. Blame management.
13. Bad mouth your employer publicly.
14. Discourage any perspective employees from applying.
15. To be a master at all of this, remember to stay just below the radar.

I hope these suggestions help you out.

Hey Lloyd! This is a pretty negative view point. Yeah, it is and it isn't. Let’s go over each point and find what's good.

1. Get involved! Speak up! Offer positive solutions. You may not get all you want but you will see change. Most supervisors welcome good ideas. Experience in a union or work committee is evaluable. If you're fortunate to have a steward in your workplace - treat them well; they are generally volunteers.
2. Do your homework on issues and ask questions. You may find a very good reason for why things are the way they are. If you have your facts, you will garner more respect.
3. Be a positive element in the workplace. Drawing people toward you influences the right crowd.
4. If you're a top performer and you are confident in speaking up; well it's hard to keep a good person down.
5. Whining is immature and unprofessional. Speak with confidence and remember to have your facts.
6. Ranting is a sure way to push people away, especially those that you need to influence. It could get you in trouble and possibly fired.
7. If you have a great idea, share. Again.... most good leaders welcome good ideas.
8. You may have an IQ of 180 - but who cares if you lord it over everyone. People skills matter, sometimes more than smarts. If people recognise your intelligence but never feel stupid in your presence - you get it.
9. You probably work in a team based environment. Forming a subculture is destructive. This too may get you into trouble.
10. The worst thing a supervisor did was apply for a job. Not a sin. Being the supervisor is just a job; a necessary one at that. You don't have to love your supervisor, but you are expected to respect the position.
11. The more collective your thinking becomes, the more we all benefit.
12. Solutions require a big picture look. They also require a thorough understanding of what the various issues are. Focus on the group benefits which include the organization. If you're asked to help out with an initiative and you commit, honour your commitment to the best of your ability.
13. Bad mouthing an employer or using social media to malign could also get you into trouble. Avoid this!
14. You want to be able to celebrate the great job you have - right? Or why do you work there? If you can't promote your place of work, perhaps it's time to move on.
15. If you think negativity in the workplace goes unnoticed - think again.