Are you an Office Space Invader? Check
yourself against the following list and remember to be kind to your
co-workers!
Avoid noisemakers.
Set your pager on a
vibrator setting when in the office.
Turn your personal cell
phone off, or put the volume on the lowest setting.
Use a silent screen
saver. Nothing is more irritating than a constant noise
that repeats over and over -- especially when trying to work!
Please, by all means,
take your cell phone with you when you are leaving your desk for
a period of time.
Turn the ringer on your
phone to the off position if you are leaving on a business trip
or vacation.
If you like to work to music or the radio, wear
headphones -- not everyone can concentrate while doing the
shimmy in their chairs.
Keep your business to yourself as much as
possible. What you are talking about on the phone or
at your desk is of no importance to workers around you.
Contrary to what you might believe, no one in the office hangs
on your every word, is interested in your personal business, or
feels you are more important just because of your phone or desk
conversations.
Talk as quietly as
possible when using the phone.
Do not use a speaker
phone unless you are in a private room. If you need to
have your hands free, purchase a head set.
Keep your personal
calls to a bare minimum. You are in the office, not your
living room. If the call can be made after work or during
lunch, save it for later.
If more than two people come to your cubicle to
discuss an issue at any length (this includes gossip!), try to
move the conversation to an available private room or outside
the office in a hallway away from others. Better still,
discuss the issue over lunch.
Respect the space and privacy of others.
Before entering someone
else's office or cubicle, check to be sure they are not too
busy.
Don't stand around and
wait if the person you want to speak with is on the phone or
talking with another co-worker! It is irritating to be in
a conversation and have someone standing near you listening and
making you feel as though you need to rush the conversation.
Making comments to co-workers about
conversations they have had on the phone or in their cubicle (to
which you were not invited) is in poor taste and does invade
privacy. Use good judgment.
Avoid bringing strong smells into close
quarters. This is common sense for most, but
nevertheless it has been a problem in most offices at one
time or another.
Try not to
"marinate" yourself in your favorite perfume, cologne,
or aftershave. If you can still smell your perfume or
cologne/aftershave in an elevator 10 minutes after you've
exited, you're wearing too much! If in doubt, ask a
trusted co-worker for his/her opinion. A little dab truly
will do you just fine.
Practice good hygiene
habits.
Eat foods at your desk that don't require a
microwave, if possible. Heated foods tend to allow the
smell penetrate to all areas around you. Not everyone may
like the smell of those leftovers from last night's dinner.
Popcorn seems to also be very popular. If you make popcorn
to eat at your desk, don't forget to offer some to those around
you. Also, watch the popcorn in the microwave -- burnt
popcorn smells awful, and the smell lingers. Keep a can of
light air freshener on hand just in case you need to eat lunch
at your desk. (Lunch at your desk? For goodness
sake, take a break!)
People in general find it difficult to bring up
these types of issues with those around them. No one likes to
embarrass another by bringing up habits that are annoying (and even
though annoyed, they probably won't!). While you may not have
had anything said to you up to this point, if any of the above
applies to you, it is most likely time for some changes in your
office etiquette.
Notice: You have the author's
permission to use the tutorials on this site for your personal
use only. If you would like to use these tutorials for
training classes or other commercial use, please contact kstille@esmartweb.com.
Distribution in print or on the Web without the author's permission
is strictly prohibited.
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