10 Exemplary Work Habits That Can Help You Stand Out in Your Workplace

Being consistently professional gets you noticed at work. While this is a universal truth, it may ring truer in Singapore, thanks to the intense competition in the country’s local job market.

If you’re interested in standing out for all the right reasons, here are some work habits you may want to cultivate.

1.) Proactively Expanding Skills

The single most important work habit that will get you noticed is a drive to continuously expand your skills. This is because employees with high degrees of specialisation or unique cross-competencies are seen as especially valuable, especially in workplaces that emphasise innovation and unique perspectives.

Fortunately, there are multiple opportunities for adult education in Singapore. Certificate courses in Singapore are widely available thanks to government-lead initiatives like SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG). Taking these courses regularly will not only help you get noticed, but it will also help your CV increase in value in a hyper-competitive job market.

2.) Approaching Workloads Realistically

Professional behaviour is valued in every workplace. What many don’t appreciate, however, is that employers today don’t necessarily see working yourself to the bone as a sign of being professional.

Knowing when to take the initiative, delegate work, seek cooperation, and choose one’s battles is increasingly being seen as a better marker of professionalism than simply doing what one is told. By taking a more nuanced approach to work challenges, you are likely to stand head and shoulders above everyone else.

3.) Underpromising and Overdelivering

Don’t make a habit of promising unrealistic performance goals. Setting reasonable goals that you can accomplish with little effort and then exceeding them is the better strategy for building your reputation in the workplace. Not only will it help delight managers, but you can also avoid burning yourself out, allowing you to keep a consistent pace.

4.) Being Culturally Sensitive

Because Singapore is a global melting pot, it is especially important to be highly aware of the cultural contexts surrounding day-to-day interactions. Given this, communicating with coworkers, managers, customers, and other stakeholders in a professional and culturally aware manner will help raise your stature in your team.

5.) Taking the Initiative 

Your supervisors will certainly notice it if you volunteer to take on more assignments or take on advance work during your downtime. Volunteering to take the lead on new projects may also help bring attention to your leadership potential, putting you on track for future career development.

6.) Taking the Time to Mentor Others

Mentorship is one of those things that everyone acknowledges is beneficial but relatively few bother to implement seriously. If you already have years of experience under your belt, setting aside time to be a good mentor to others in your team can thus help you stand out in your workplace in the best way possible.

Not only does mentorship show your leadership potential but it also shows that you are invested in the success of the organisation as a whole. If done well, exercising mentorship can make you an irreplaceable part of your team.

7.) Admitting Errors Gracefully

Being able to admit mistakes with grace and candour is not a universal trait, and it regrettably becomes rarer the higher up you go on the career ladder. Being able to do this when few other people can is certainly going to help you get noticed in your organisation.

8.) Asking Important Questions

Groupthink is an ever-present danger in many organisations, particularly those within cultures that value harmony. The ability to respectfully raise important concerns that everyone else may be glossing over is an especially rare skill that forward-thinking managers will appreciate.

9.) Reading Carefully

Employees that consistently fail to read written instructions or emails carefully can be a liability. While everyone slips up occasionally, coworkers and supervisors will quickly catch on if you’re careless at reading. This kind of preventable miscommunication can result in a lot of frustration as well as wasted time and effort. If you consistently follow written directions correctly, your peers and managers will definitely notice and appreciate it.

10.) Reviewing Your Own Output

Conscientious workers will make sure to include QA activities as a necessary part of their processes and estimates. Because even small errors have a habit of compounding, astute managers will appreciate it when workers make it a habit to review their output, even before it goes to a separate QA process.

Start Cultivating Positive Work Habits Today

Turning these positive work behaviours into habits is much easier said than done. However, there is no better time to start on them than the present.

While some things like taking certificate courses in Singapore are simple enough, others require long-term effort to make them second nature. To make these behaviours sustainable, it’s important to plan them out.

Focus on just a few important behaviours at a time, and commit to doing a few acts each day that help bring you closer to the goal of forming a habit. While it may take some effort, you might find that making these behaviours second nature will be worthwhile, not just professionally but personally as well.