It is very important to behave “professionally” in the workplace. Becoming professional at work begins with having a positive attitude toward your job. If you want to stay ahead, be productive, and your boss think of you as an asset to the team, doing things in a professional way is critical.

One should complete his or her work assignment with full dedication, commitment and ownership. To achieve greater satisfaction at your workplace, it is very important to love the work you’re doing.

Avoid being unprofessional

Nobody at your workplace or your employer will teach you on how to become professional. However, we all know from our experiences, when the person can be labeled as “unprofessional”. For instance, we call a person an unprofessional when he couldn’t complete his projects or tasks in time, always unprepared during meetings, treat people with disrespect, don’t value time and keep others waiting unnecessarily. show ego and always indulge in an argument.

Gurbani says,

ਚਾਕਰ ਲਗੇ ਚਾਕਰੀ ਨਾਲੇ ਗਾਰਬ ਵਾਦ
An employee should work as desired by the employer and not show ego or indulge in argument.

8 WAYS TO BECOME PROFESSIONAL IN THE WORKPLACE

Acting like a professional really means doing what it takes to make others think of you as reliable, respectful, and competent. However it depends on where you work and the type of job you have, it may take various forms. But here are the common traits of being a Professional.

1. Develop Competency: A workplace competency is a description of desired skill, attribute or behavior for a job which is used to measure an individual’s effectiveness. Usually workplace competency is judged from 2 aspects: Behavioral and Technical. Behavioral competencies are judged based on work confidentially, inspire others and submit monthly reports on time, while technical competencies are judged based on written communication skills, knowledge of procedures and ability to resolve conflict.

2. Reliability: Reliability is essential to employee performance. A reliable employee is the one who always complete his/her work in time. Gurbani says,

ਸ਼ਚੈ ਮਾਰ੍ਗ ਚਲਡਿਹਾ ਉਸਤਤ ਕਰੇ ਜਹਾਂਨ
Going on the true path, earns praise from all.

3. Honesty: Being honest means “refrain from lying”. You tell the truth and are upfront about where things stand. You should always address mistakes as soon as possible. Gurbani says,

ਸਚਹੁ ਓਰਈ ਸਭ ਕੋ ਉਪਰ ਸਚ ਆਚਾਰ
Truth is higher than everything; but higher still is truthful living.

4. Be systematic: A professional is the one who follows time and keeps his/her employers happy. Always create a schedule of your task and try to manage your work with proper breaks and time slots.

5. Keep good relation: Treat all people as important as if they mattered a lot. Assure them you are approachable and they can discuss their problem during tough times, but maintain the required distance. A good professional always share his/her knowledge, opinion or simply an extra pair of hands. Gurbani says,

ਜੇ ਲੋੜਿਹ ਚੰਗਾ ਆਪਣਾ ਕਰ ਪੁੰਨਹੂ ਨੀਚ ਸਦਾਏਆ
If you yearn for goodness, then perform good deeds and feel humble.

6. Being Positive and friendly: Have you ever noticed that the employee with friendly and positive attitude in the work place have more friends? Employees with positive attitude are more productive and result oriented as they make it easier for everyone to get along in the workplace. Gurbani says,

ਨਾ ਕੋ ਬੈਰੀ ਨਾਹੇ ਬਿਗਾਨਾ ਸਗਲ ਸੁੰਗ ਹਾਂ ਕੋ ਬਣ ਆਈ.
Neither there is a foe, nor an alien, we are friendly with everyone.

7. Communicate and listen carefully: Communicate in a professional manner, listen attentively to others ideas, problems, maintain a eye contact and practice a solid handshake. Gurbani says,

ਜਬ ਲਗ ਦੁਨੀਆ ਰਾਹੀਆ ਨਾਨਕ ਕਿਚਹ ਸੁਣੀਆ ਕਿਚਹ ਕਹੀਆ.
Till the time we live in this world, Oh Nanak: let us listen something, say Something.

8. Dress code and appearance: Choose modest and conservative clothing that reflect the more formal attire accepted at the workplace. However there are certain workplace where dress code was often used, this is done in the office premises to communicate a corporate image and ensure that customer can easily identify them.

Originally posted at http://sikhprofessionals.net/professionalism/how-to-conduct-yourself-at-work-8-effective-ways/