The very word “etiquette” seems outdated, calling to mind advice columns from 75-year-old newspapers and archaic rules about what color socks you’re allowed to wear after midnight. But some of these rules are simply common sense, and they bear repeating. So here are 12 workplace etiquette rules that still hold water.
1.) Be There on Time–It’s simply respectful to show up at the office when everyone else does. Your team needs you to kick off the day’s work, and until you’re in the office nobody knows for sure how to plan the day. If you do have to be late, make sure you contact your supervisor before you actually become late so they can adjust the morning schedule.
2.) Don’t Interrupt a Speaker–It’s hard when ideas are flying fast and furious, because everyone knows that new fresh ideas want to be heard immediately… But don’t step on someone else’s words. Let them finish their thought before you start to speak. It’s the same kind of treatment you would want when letting loose with that new, fresh idea of yours.
3.) Don’t Leave Food Overnight– No matter how at-home you begin to feel at work and with your coworkers, don’t start treating the work fridge like your at-home counterpart. Because we often don’t think of the work fridge as “our problem” – even if our meatloaf sandwich is growing a beard in there right this minute – it’s far too easy to forget your half-eaten lunch exists. From there, nature takes over, and before long we’re getting the cooties from last week’s meatloaf sandwich all over tomorrow’s communal hummus.
4.) Make New Employees Feel Welcome–You were a new employee too, once. Remember how nice it felt when the existing employees gave you a smile or a friendly word or welcome? It’s time to pass that on to the next new employee.
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5.) Abide the Dress Code–We all like to distinguish ourselves from the herd by dressing in ways that express our personal style, but when you break from an established workplace dress code for comfort the main message you’re sending is one of disrespect for your coworkers.
6.) Stay Home When You’re Sick–We’re all grown ups. If you’re sick, you’re sick. That’s what your sick days are for, even if you usually use those for hitting those sick slopes for a little hooky-flavored skiing. The math is easy: If you bring you sickness in to work, you give everyone else a chance at catching something they really don’t want, and it can eventually create a real lag on productivity if you take out half of the office.
7.) Bathroom Etiquette– We’ll spare the gory details here, but the golden rule is if you wouldn’t treat your bathroom at home that way, don’t do it to your office bathroom. And if you do treat your home bathroom that way, try to amend your interesting hygeine policy to allow for your coworkers’ feelings.
8.) Don’t Talk About Work on Social Media–It’s not private, and it will get back to you even if you aren’t Facebook friends with your work friends.
9.) Keep the Phone on Silent–Yes, keep those personal rings, dings, boops, and bleeps to yourself and your cell phone on vibrate. There are people trying to work here.
10.) Be Conservative with That “Reply All” Option–Make sure it’s something you really need everyone in the office to read before pulling that trigger.
11.) Respect Workplace Privacy–The idea here is not to linger behind your coworkers in a way that implies you’re taking a look at their computer screen or scoping out their lunch. It’s best to consider a cubicle the same as an office, only with invisible walls.
12.) Don’t Microwave Fish, or Make Fun of People Who Do–That’s really the heart of it, folks. If you microwave fish in the office, everyone will smell it and those who don’t cotton to the smell of hot fish will be put off. However, if you are on the other end of this, and its you who has to deal with that smell, don’t make a big scene or embarrass the fish-warmer. It’s all about respect going both ways in the modern workplace.
