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You think you’re an amazing employee. You show up on time, meet all your deadlines—you don’t even steal stamps. But your hard work is worthless if you have bad co-worker karma. You may not even recognize that your on-the-job behavior makes colleagues cringe—and you could be jinxing your chances for career success. “Even if you’re excellent at what you do, you won’t succeed unless you have the respect of those you work with,” says Ronna Lichtenberg, author of Work Would Be Great If It Weren’t for the People (Hyperion, 1999). “That doesn’t mean you have to be buddy-buddy with the whole office, but you do need your colleague’s respect to get things done.” Here, Cosmo shows you how to steer clear of five career killers:

Bad Behavior #1: Rampant Rumor Mongering
Sure a little workplace dish can be harmless. But you take harmless dish a few steps closer to potentially hurtful gossip by pondering your coworkers’ dirty laundry—and making your pondering public information. “A reporter I work with always dashes to my desk to dish about our manager’s ‘scandalous’ sex life,” explains Elizabeth, 29, a journalist. “Not only is her source completely suspect, the stories totally yuck me out. And she doesn’t seem to notice that I never seek out her scoops!”

Just because you enjoy reporting down-and-dirty rumors, don’t assume others want to hear them. Those who find it a total turnoff will flee when they see you. And while your fellow inquiring minds might make you a popular player at the watercooler, nobody will give you any inside info if you’re loose-lipped.

Office Rep Rx: Lock your lips and throw away the key—especially when you’re tempted to ponder coworkers’ personal lives aloud. You’ll want—and need—their trust when something truly important arises.

Bad Behavior #2: Venting a Toxic ‘Tude
Grumble, groan, and complain are the names of your game. But while a sporadic gripe session can help forge coworker camaraderie, constant criticisms will make everyone around you miserable. “One manager in my office won’t stop bitching about our long hours,” says Helena, 24, a writer at a PR wire service. “Her haranguing just sinks morale even lower and forces everyone to flee her nonstop negativity.”

You may feel superior ripping the workplace to shreds, but you’ll come across as angry. “People will wonder why, if you hate work so much, you don’t find a job elsewhere,” says Lichtenberg.

Office Rep Rx: “Rather than complain, keep quiet,” recommends Ann Marie Sabath, author of Business Etiquette (Career Press, 1998). “After earning a rep as the office whiner, your words will start to fall on deaf ears, and coworkers will tune you out.” Next time you’re desperate to divulge toxic thoughts, e-mail your frustration to an out-of-office buddy. She’ll empathize, but more important, you’ll have a silent outlet for your office angst.

Bad Behavior #3: Desperately Seeking Sympathy
When people ask how you are, do you tend to reply, “Not great, here’s why…”? Are you plagued by aches and pains that double as conversation topics? Watch out: This woe-is-me whining could leave you the loneliest staffer around. “A woman at my job has a cast on her leg, and I haven’t asked her why,” says Amy, 26, a marketing executive. “If I do, I’ll have to spend 20 minutes hearing about everything from her insurance problems to how hard it is to get a seat on the subway.”

A rep as a melodrama mama is a career catastrophe, explains Lichtenberg. “You never want coworkers to feel sorry for you—it’s impossible to pity someone and respect her at the same time.” Plus, if your personal life is a mess, people will assume you can’t cope with life, let alone a job.

Office Rep Rx: Keep your issues under wraps, and don’t view staffers as a built-in audience for your sob stories. Indulge your love of drama by inquiring how coworkers are doing. You’ll come away looking like the stable one.

Bad Behavior #4: Ass Kissing Ad Nauseum
Sure you’d like to hang with your corporate equals, but you also have one eye always on the lookout for the perfect opportunity to smooch a little bigwig butt. Overdo it, though, and coworkers won’t mask their resentment.

“I eat lunch at an office conference table with three other junior analysts, but there’s a fifth, Heather, who almost never joins us,” says Alana, 25, a financial analyst. “One day, a vice president sat down, and as soon as Heather noticed, she rushed to the table just so she could hang with the VP!”

Office Rep Rx: Treat all your colleagues—even those with no power—with respect. You never know which so-called little person has a relationship with someone high up in the company. “A person without power can still have lots of influence over those who do,” explains Lichtenberg. “If your boss senses that a colleague doesn’t like you, it won’t reflect well on you.”

Danielle, a 27-year-old public relations assistant, learned this lesson the hard way: When a new coworker whom Danielle deemed unqualified showed up, Danielle ignored her—only to discover that coworkers was the CEO’s niece. “Little did I know that this woman was reporting info back to her uncle,” recalls Danielle. “I’m sure she told him how mean I was, and that may be why, after two years, I never left the assistant’s seat.”

Bad Behavior #5: Felony Flirting
Your motto: If you have it, it can’t hurt to flaunt it any time a guy staffer strolls by your desk. You might think working it will snare the extra attention of male powers-that-be, but beware—it’ll make you the object of deadly derision from females. “This new girl in my office wears Ally McBeal-length skirts on a figure that’s more Carmen Electra than Calista Flockhart,” says Kimberly, 28, a marketing manager. “Of course, women find her annoying as hell and won’t give her any credit.”

And though your coquette act will draw some guys’ eyes, it’ll fall flat with many more. “The big flirt at my former job did not realize that her bimbo behavior was mocked by men as well as women,” says Nikki, 25, a restaurant manager.

Office Rep Rx: You can still be subtly sensual behind a businesslike façade—you just don’t want to knock everyone over with a company cutie routine. “You can’t help it if you have a rapport with someone of the opposite sex,” explains Lichtenberg. “But if colleagues think you’re using your sexuality to get ahead, they conclude—rightly or wrongly—that you lack real skill.” And that’ll put the brakes on your career big-time.

Bad Rep Rap
You know it’s time to bite your tongue at work when you recognize yourself in these stories:

“I always prided myself to be the office Inday Badiday. If the news was juicy, I had to have the scoop. When I found out that my now-married boss was once the mistress of a government official, I couldn’t help but blab to the world. She found out, was furious, and found excuses to make things hard for me. Eventually, I just resigned. I regret being so chismosa and realize now that I should’ve just shut up.”
—Cristina, 26, account executive

“I never thought I was a whiner. I just thought I was being vocal about my opinions. I mean, if the bathroom doesn’t have any tissue, then somebody has to point it out! If the office is infested with tiny, annoying cockroaches, and the aircon is not working properly, then say so! During my evaluation, my boss told me that I was too petty because I complained all the time. Instead of whining, I realized I should just do something about it!”
—Melanie, 29, marketing assistant

“I love to flirt. For me, it’s all just a game. So when I was transferred to a department where the male to female ratio was 5:1, I was in office heaven! Soon all male eyes were on me, but the women there weren’t too happy with my sexy slits and exposed cleavage. I was flattered by their jealousy so I flirted with the guys even more. But after a while the attention lost its appeal, the guys started hitting on me, and I found myself without any female confidantes. I started dressing more professionally after that.”
—Jem, 25, sales coordinator