Office etiquette and professionalism in the workplace are crucial to every company’s success. Here are some essential tips to ensure your workplace remains a productive and pleasurable one:
Keep noise and distractions to a minimum - Loud voices and noises easily distract other people in the office, so unless everyone needs to know what you are talking about you should try to reduce your noise output.
Be punctual - Be on time to your meetings and if you are going to be late ensure you let people know in advance.
Be aware of odours - Eat lunch in the lunchroom/ avoid eating smelly food at your desk.
Clean up after yourself - keep your desk tidy and ensure that others don’t have to clean up after you, throw your rubbish away, clean your dishes and don’t let food go off in the fridge.
Keep personal phones on silent - and avoid distractions by responding to non urgent personal texts and calls on your lunch break.
Respond to emails - Acknowledge colleagues emails in a timely manner, good communication is key to a thriving workplace.
Think before hitting reply all - Consider whether everyone in the thread needs to see your response before sending your emails.
Use headphones sparingly - Be apart of the team rather than shutting them out, not responding to colleagues because you can’t hear them can be frustrating to others.
Don’t block the elevator door - If the elevator is full and others are trying to get out, step out and let them out, then step back in.
Be positive - If you are disengaged don’t bring others down with you, refrain from speaking negatively about your work to others.
Don’t use speaker phone - Don’t play your voicemails or have conversations on loudspeaker for the entire office to hear.
Give your undivided attention in meetings - Avoid being distracted by your phone or engaging in conversations with others whilst the main speaker is talking.
Share the credit - If you worked on a project with another team member ensure that they are also recognised for their efforts.
Present yourself appropriately - Dress for success! Ensure that your attire and personal grooming are appropriate for your workspace.
Knock first - Don't barge into an office without first knocking ór asking if you can enter.