Office Etiquette

Office etiquette. What can you say about office etiquette, or lack thereof. Well…..plenty. It’s quite interesting that this subject always seems to be a topic of conversation. Why not visit it again………

You walk into a co-worker’s office, and see he/she is speaking to someone…
If you see the person you need to speak to is in with someone else, please don’t stand there and wait until they are done. Please don’t walk in and start talking. Be courteous. Stand at the door and ask the person to come by or call you when they are done. Chances are, as soon as they are finished, you will be next. Patience is a virtue.

You need to speak with someone and they are (gasp!!) on the phone…
Please don’t walk in and plop down in the person’s chair and hang out until they are done. Please don’t stand there and make hand gestures as if you are waving in a 747 to get their attention. Please don’t start to talk to the person while the person is speaking on the phone. More often than not, the person sees that you are there and will make a mental note to get back to you when they are done with their call. If they are engrossed in conversation and somehow don’t see you, try again in a little while. Be respectful of other people. It’s ok.

You decide to simply walk into someone’s office/cubicle…
Whether someone is in an office or a cubicle, please knock before you enter. Office – knock on the door. Cubicle – knock on the side. It really is simple common courtesy and consideration of another person’s space. If you are invited in, great! If not, the person may be working on something confidential, and can’t devote the time right at that very moment. They will get back to you. I promise.

These are only some examples, as we haven’t even begun to touch on all the other office etiquette with regards to the gum snapping, popcorn crunching, personal problem yelling, etc. Treat others as you would like to be treated. I bet you wouldn’t be too happy if the shoe were on the other foot.