How to behave properly in a cubicle environment
A cubicle is your home away from home while you're at work. Although this tiny piece of office real estate is your space, you really cannot behave as you please while occupying it. There are ways to more successfully survive in cube land. Every office environment is different, so take some time to investigate and observe your co-workers to make sure your cubical etiquette is appropriate for your workplace environment.
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Instructions
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Eating smelly food such as fish or Indian food for lunch is something you should never do in a cubicle, or actually anywhere in the workplace. Save the seafood for your own kitchen.
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Making personal phone calls incessantly when you're in a cubicle is annoying to everyone around you. You co-workers don't want to hear you schedule doctor appointments, and they also don't appreciate listening to your hour-long phone chats with your sister. If you must make a personal phone call, go to an empty office, a conference room or the lobby of your building.
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Eavesdropping on your co-workers is not okay. If someone is on the phone with his dry cleaner, it's not okay to ask him which one he uses as soon as he get off the phone. Unless someone involves you, ignore personal conversations going on around you.
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Spraying perfume, body spray and applying scented lotion is not okay when other people are sitting in close proximity to you. Although you may like the smell of whatever you're applying, your cubicle neighbors may not. Keep unscented lotion in your desk and save the perfume for date night.
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Talking to your cubicle neighbor incessantly while she's trying to work is a sure way to annoy her. Just because you may not have a heavy workload, this doesn't mean she's in the same situation. If someone has their back to you or is only responding with "uh-huh," take this as your cue to stop talking and go back to your cubicle.
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Turn the sound off on your cell phone and computer while at work. Listening to other people's electronic devices ring, beep, and chirp all day at work is both distracting and irritating.
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Use headphones if possible when listening to music. Your neighbors might not share your taste in music, or may need quiet to concentrate. If you don't have headphones, make sure you turn the volume on your radio to a very low setting.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Empty Office Cubical image by TekinT from Fotolia.com
