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Even the most professional amongst us can make mistakes at work sometimes. If we're lucky the misdemeanour will be minor enough to be overlooked or we can take action to put things right. Sometimes, though, there's no turning back.
The following six slip-ups may not be bad enough to result in instant dismissal but depending on the circumstances, could herald the demise of your career. Make them at your peril...
1. You hit 'send' in anger
It can be tempting to fire off an email in the heat of the moment but think twice before you hit "send". When your fingers are flying across the keyboard in rage, it's easy to hit "reply all" by mistake or say something scathing that could find its way into a client's or your manager's inbox.
Take a walk, let off steam with a trusted colleague in private, or get things off your chest by typing the email as a Word document and leaving it a couple of hours before sending.
'Give yourself time to cool off and you'll be able to put your argument professionally and will have time to get your facts straight,' says John Lees, career coach and author of How To Get A Job You'll Love. 'Remember, emails can easily become public. Only send what you would be happy to see pinned up on the office notice board.'
2. You constantly badmouth the boss
A nightmare boss is no fun to live with, but constantly moaning about the management can become a negative habit that reflects badly on you.
'Adopting a "them and us" attitude is demoralising for the people around you as well as yourself,' says Corinne Mills, Managing Director of Personal Career Management and author of Career Coach.
'It's fine to disagree but keep your argument focused on the specific business or operational issue rather than having a go at particular individuals or blaming "the management". Offer some viable alternatives that could work better so your comments are viewed as constructive and helpful.
'Once you've made your feelings known, move on. Constant grumbling or questioning every little decision can make you appear difficult to work with and this can seriously damage your career prospects and make you more dispensable.'
3. You burn bridges
Whatever industry you work in, the relationships you build with other people are paramount to your success. "Soft skills" as recruiters call them, can make or break your career.
It may be a cliché to say "be nice to people on your way up because you'll meet them on your way down," but it never helps to make enemies.
'You won't like everyone you come into contact with - and there may be some people you actually loathe - but it pays to keep a level of professional friendliness with everyone,' says Clare Whitmell, who blogs on careers atjobmarketsuccess.com.
'Be wary of making it known that you dislike another person, you never know who their closest ally might be or when you might end up working in the same office with them again.'
4. You regularly cancel meetings
Meetings get cancelled and re-scheduled all the time - that's just the nature of business. While last minute changes are sometimes unavoidable, if you regularly cancel or move meetings around don't be surprised when others don't turn up or stop accepting invitations.
'At best you'll earn a reputation for poor time management - at worst, you'll be viewed as an incompetent time waster,' says Clare.
'If you can no longer host the meeting, be sure to inform those on the invite list why you need to cancel and apologise for wasting their time. If the other party is coming from outside the company, it's only polite to reschedule for a time which suits them.'
5. You never go the extra mile
There are times when everyone has to work late to meet a deadline or launch an important project. While constant unpaid overtime shouldn't be accepted as a feature of the job, if you're the only one unwilling to help out, you're putting a strain on the rest of the team.
'Being flexible is especially important when you're new to a position,' says John. 'If you can't make yourself available every so often for an important project, you need to give your manager a good reason why - otherwise it suggests you're not committed to the job.'
6. You grab the credit for yourself
It's not just bad managers who are guilty of taking all the credit. A bit of competition at work can be a good thing, especially in sales environments, but being a good team player means congratulating others on a job well done - and being willing to share the credit with others.
'Positive people are like magnets, everyone wants to be around them and their enthusiasm can lift the spirits of an entire team,' says Clare. 'Take every opportunity to be positive - whether that's celebrating your boss's or a team member's success.
'When you get promoted, win a new client or achieve the month's best sales figures, remember to thank those who helped you. Make others feel good about themselves and they're more likely to want to help you go on to achieve bigger and better things.'
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