These Are Signs That You Are Overstepping Boundaries at Work.

It’s one thing to take your job seriously, but some people don’t stop there. Instead, they take it upon themselves to intervene in situations that do not concern them, going beyond their job responsibilities – and not in a good way.

Because it is often done with good intentions, it can be difficult for someone to recognize when they are doing it themselves. Here are a few signs that will help you determine if you are overworking .

Signs that you are overdoing it at work

Sometimes workplace behaviors that we think are helpful and responsible actually irritate our co-workers or can even create problems for them.

Cathy DeSelles, Ph.D. , professor of organizational behavior at the University of Toronto and co-author of an article entitled ” Vigilantes at Work: A Study of Dark Knight Employee Frequency ,” recently spoke with CNBC Make It and shared these three signs. help you understand if you are out of line at work:

1. You reprimand your colleagues

Let’s say you notice that one of your colleagues is 15 minutes late for work every morning this week, so you decide to call him and tell him to be more punctual. In this case, you don’t think your manager has adequately disciplined their behavior, so you take responsibility to do it for them or report it to HR.

“Usually a vigilante is defined by his punishment behavior,” notes DeSelles. “It all starts very psychologically. You notice over and over again that there is no fairness at work. People get away with things that annoy you.”

2. You are very concerned about the actions, behavior and performance of your colleagues.

Even if you don’t keep a written record of your observations, you are at least making mental notes of any workplace rule violations and/or poor performance. This includes being “hyper-vigilant, watching other people and expecting people to do things that are wrong or that you think are unethical,” DeSelles says.

3. You get angry when a colleague breaks a “rule”

When you notice that someone has broken what you consider to be a clear “rule”, but no one sees it, or at least does nothing about it, you get frustrated. “The vigilant might see this as something that makes them more and more frustrated and angry,” says DeSelles.