Office environments, over the past few years, have had to sail through the seas of change. While cubicles at the workplace are extremely common, there are some companies that have chosen to do away with them. This is what led to the birth of what is now known as open space offices. Companies prefer open spaces to cubicles for two main reasons. Open spaces help cut down costs and also help employees build relationships. Some companies however resort to an open space work environment for the sole purpose of helping employees work in a friendly and warm environment, as opposed to a cold cubicle. Sadly, however, open space work environments have not had the desired effect due to the each and every individual’s habits, working style, tastes and preferences. When in an open space office, it is important to be aware of one’s actions and words. Make your move and read on to gain access to a sizeable number of pointers that are guaranteed to give you an insight into the do’s and don’ts at an open plan office.
Open Plan Office Etiquette
Tone Down Your Volume
No matter how nice a person you are, if you tend to be loud all the time, you most probably will top the hate list of your colleagues. People like to work around professionals in a professional environment and not around loud, obnoxious chatterboxes. This is something that you will just have to keep in mind when working in an open space office. Here, at no cost do you want the volume of your voice to be the cause of disturbance.
Say No To Personal Calls
The last thing a coworker would want to hear at work is you jabbering to a friend about how your dinner date with your boyfriend/girlfriend was such a disaster! If you ever get a personal call when at your desk, be courteous enough to step out to answer the call. However, if it is impossible for you to step out to answer a personal call, at least make sure you talk in a normal tone of voice when answering the call.
Table Manners
With busy work schedules, a one-hour lunch break is as good as a luxury. This busyness in turn sees a lot of people eat at their desks, which only justifies the need for table manners. The table manners in an office setting are only slightly different from the ones set at home. When at home you can feel free to have just about anything, however the same cannot hold true at work. You don’t want to carry food that smells or can generally be repulsive to the people around you. You also don’t want to made loud chomping noises while eating. It is a must to bring food that does not smell and eat the same without disturbing the people around you.
Respect Privacy
Just because there are no cubicles in an open space office, doesn’t mean it is okay to be caught staring at your colleagues monitor or strike a conversation with him/her at the drop of a hat. Respect your colleague’s privacy and ask him/her for permission before clearing doubts or going on one of your many conversation escapades.
Cleanliness
It is essential to have a clean desk, especially when in an open space office environment. No excuses here! No one likes to be around messy people and sure do not like working with messy people. Ensure that your desk looks neat and is free of clutter. Wastepaper, chocolate wrappers, pizza boxes, cola bottles, a thousand files, etc. are simply not allowed.
It is essential to have a clean desk, especially when in an open space office environment. No excuses here! No one likes to be around messy people and sure do not like working with messy people. Ensure that your desk looks neat and is free of clutter. Wastepaper, chocolate wrappers, pizza boxes, cola bottles, a thousand files, etc. are simply not allowed.
