Noise is the number one complaint about workers to human resources. Many people think a cubicle is made of magical sound dampening materials, and that the sounds of a radio or talking on the telephone will not be herd outside the cubicle. Let me tell you people this is not the fact. Noise spreads outside a cubicle and can be herd by everyone in the office, including the supervisors and managers. If you are allowed to listen to a radio at work try doing it wearing headphones. Disturbing your co-workers is not the way to make friends and get ahead in the business world.
Talking Behind their Backs:
Getting caught talking about co workers behind their backs is the most common cause of hostile environment lawsuit. This is why many companies will immediately fire someone who is found to be talking about the other people in the company to cover themselves from being sued. My advice is to keep what you hear or see to yourself.
Personal Calls and E-Mails:
Most supervisors and managers understand that outside the office employees have a life, and they know you are going to send and receive emails from your friends and family, but it is important to keep it to a minimum. It is also important to remember to make sue that your friends do not use any inappropriate language in the emails. Many companies have software that will spot the language and report it to your manager. Phone calls should be kept to your break times. It is not fair to your employer or your co-workers if you take extra time off during the day to talk on the phone keep personal calls to your own time except for emergencies, and making plans for Friday night is not an emergency.
Work is Not a Social Event:
It is one thing to be away from your desk for a business related reason, but no boss is going to put up with a worker who is always at someone else's desk or hanging around the break room. This will make a boss think they are paying you for nothing and you will son find yourself in the unemployment line.
Food:
When I used to work in an office I often had to work thru my lunch and eat at my desk to get things done on time. As much as I hated to have to do it what was I going to do things have to get done on time. When this happens to you make sure the food you bring into the office is overly aromatic. The last thing you want is for someone to make a complaint to human resources, because you had some food in the office that bothered someone. This may seem silly, but trust me I have seen this happen.
Smells:
Try to remember that people in the office do not want to smell you, so before you pour on the perfume or cologne before going to work remember that some people are very sensitive to smells and do not want to get a headache because of you.
Pimp my Cubicle:
Many people want their cubicles to reflect their personality, and they will put up pictures and jokes and little knick knacks. The problem with this is that it does not look professional when outsiders visit the office, to have a few pictures on your desk is one thing but to have a small aquarium or collectables on your desk may be a bit much for any office. Before sprucing up your cubicle make sure to run it by the supervisor. You would not want to get a letter from human resources for having inappropriate items on your desk.
Before you do anything in the office always ask yourself if it could in any way bother a fellow worker if the answer is yes then do not so it. No one wants to lose their job over something stupid.
