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Self Sabotage Is A Thing & Here’s How It Shows Up In The Workplace

Have you ever opened up a job application, filled in a few of your details, then closed it? Have you ever put off doing a task at work then haphazardly finished it the day it is due because “you work better under pressure”? Have you ever deliberately not applied for a promotion because what’s the point and Debbie will get it anyway?

If you said yes to any of the above, you might just be a self-sabotager. But what even is self-sabotage? According to Mind Tools, self-sabotage is the act of destroying or undermining something except it is only directed at yourself and affects you and you alone. It could be direct and deliberate but oftentimes, may be covert or a subconscious decision. In this case, we will be looking at self-sabotage as it occurs specifically in the workplace/employment.

What else could self-sabotage look like in the workplace? It could be consistently coming in late to work, “forgetting” a pivotal deadline or failing to properly prepare for a presentation or meeting. It could even appear in the form of “perfectionism” wherein you are so desperate to exceed in something, you end up not putting in as much effort as you are capable of or even end up not completing it at all because you think it won’t live up to your potential.