One of the most important lessons of being an employee is to learn how to act your wage.

This is a piece of wisdom that can go both ways. On the one hand, it is all about knowing how to take adequate breaks and not stress yourself out too much over a position that is likely underpaid and under-resourced. On the other hand, it is the acknowledgement that there is a reason that you get that salary, and you need to put a reasonable amount of effort into earning it.

It is a delicate balance, and one that people frequently fall on the wrong side of. Nobody wants to be coworkers with someone who is so dedicated to slacking off that it starts to increase their workload. What is even worse is those who not only don’t want to do their job, but also want to give themselves an authority that they don’t have. Inevitably, this causes problems in a team, sooner or later.