Etiquette - Workplace

I figure, rather than ranting, I'll write Etiquette Posts instead.

1 - Wait for an answer.
If you knock on someone's door, or call their name, wait for them to respond before you start talking to them. They may be right in the middle of a train of thought & you have just interrupted their flow.

2 - Toilets are not conversational areas.
The standard "Hi, how are you?" is ok, but don't delve into their weekend activities. You're not going to cover a lot of ground while washing your hands are you?

3 - Being Boss doesn't make you God.
God can interrupt anything He likes, do anything He wants. Just because you have people reporting to you, doesn't mean you can throw common courtesy out the window. If you need to see someone who is already otherwise occupied & the matter isn't deathly urgent, you can wait. Earn respect, if you demand it, you will produce a nonproductive work environment & staff that dislike you.

4 - Recognise Down Time.
If someone is away from their desk, if they're reading a book, if they have their mp3 player headphones in (both ears), then it's most likely they're at lunch/break. Recognise this & leave them be. Everyone needs down time, it actually increases productivity. Don't start talking to them (See #1) about something work related & not urgent, they probably don't care.

5 - iPods.
If you're working, try to only have one ear plugged in to the music. This means you can hear the phone, hear conversation levels around you, hear how loud you're typing (which can get quite loud) & ensures you don't get too carried away with the music. It also means that if someone is trying to talk to you, the chance of hearing them is higher.

6 - Respect Personal Space.
If they have a tray on their desk - put any items for them in it, if they need to attend to it in a short space of time, send them an email, letting them know it's there. Really try not to put it on their seat (it happens!), keyboard, in front of their screen. First of all, it's just polite. Secondly, (& I'm struggling to word this correctly) it means they have to start thinking about this document in front of them, before they've even sat down.

7 - Morning Routines.
Everybody has them. Whether you get coffee & check your emails, or get on the internet for 15 minutes before addressing your work. Realise that everyone has a different way of settling in in the morning. Don't go up to someone, who has only just sat down at their desk. They're probably not even awake yet if they're anything like me.

What else needs to be kept in mind while at work?

Bambola x