Workplace etiquette

[penelope2017]

Maybe the issue is the OP just calls this Workplace Etiquette. Too general?

It seems it is more Corporate Office Etiquette or Conservative Workplace Etiquette if we're going to make a general no visible piercings rule.

There are many 'workplaces' that would have no issue with piercings. Mine included. I work for a newspaper.

[Lisbeth]

Okay, suppose we say, "It is advisable not to have visible body piercings unless you know for sure that your workplace allows them?  When in doubt, leave them out."

[Nannerdoman]

Don't gossip about your co-workers.  It's unprofessional and can lead to unpleasant situations.

Accept the fact that you may not like everyone with whom you work, and that they may not like you.  Then pull on your big-kid pants and maintain a relationship with the disliked co-worker that will get the job done.

Don't criticize someone else's work unless you are that person's supervisor.  However, politely pointing out errors or making suggestions is okay: "Chris, you misspelled the client's name here."  "Amy, I've found it helps me to rough-draft the memo first."

Accept the fact that things may happen at work that you don't like.  Then pull up your big-kid pants and decide what to do--quit the job, accept the situation, work constructively to change the situation, etc.  Foot-stomping and temper tantrums will win you a place on E-Hell, but not in the hearts of your bosses and co-workers.

Every workplace and every job has its share of drudgery and scut work.  Do your share without complaining.

Watch your alcohol consumption at office social events.  It may be a party, but you're still at work.

[YogaChick]

Watch your alcohol consumption at office social events.  It may be a party, but you're still at work.

Nannerdoman, is it ever okay to forgo office social events altogether?

[Msunderstatement]

Do not wear strong cologne.  You do better putting a very little on than the other way around.

Do not eat smelly food at your station.  Do not chew loudly.

Do not play your radio loudly.  Do not sing along or play the bongos on your desk.

Clean up the lunch place you occupied and your work station (wipe crumbs, clean up greasy/sticky smears).

Do not brag so much (about your children, pets, etc.). 

[Lisbeth]

Watch your alcohol consumption at office social events.  It may be a party, but you're still at work.

Nannerdoman, is it ever okay to forgo office social events altogether?

I'm not Nannerdoman, but I'd say it is when:
1) They occur so frequently that you're shortchanging your partner and/or children
2) They conflict with a major personal event like the wedding of a family member
3) It doesn't affect the job-that is to say, there are no "rewards" other than friendship and no "points" taken off for not attending, such as missed opportunities or gossip that occur as a direct result of the event and can hurt you later
4) There is an emergency

[M-theory]

23) Remain professional at all times regardless of mode of communcation. Do not use netspeak in IMs or e-mails.

I work in a profession where the emphasis is on our mastery of English spelling and grammar. Imagine my surprise when I got an IM from a coworker: "I kno it sez ur busy but can u hlp me plzzzzzzzzz."

She's 5 years older than me and has been with the company for about that much longer. I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't seeing things.

[Alida]

Whatever number we're at now) It's an office, not a coffee klatsch.  If you want to chit chat, wait until a break, don't come to another's desk and yammer away while they're deep into a project. 

Next number) Office gossip is evil.  It creates more trouble than it can ever be worth.  If you have to whisper it so no one else in the office hears, it shouldn't be shared.

[YogaChick]

One time, my mom told me that it was "rude" to have any particular friends at work at all, and that one should be superficially polite and friendly to EVERYONE, but not socialize with any particular individuals more than others, even if you just naturally gravitate to one another.  Is this true?

[YogaChick]

Watch your alcohol consumption at office social events.  It may be a party, but you're still at work.

Nannerdoman, is it ever okay to forgo office social events altogether?

I'm not Nannerdoman, but I'd say it is when:
1) They occur so frequently that you're shortchanging your partner and/or children
2) They conflict with a major personal event like the wedding of a family member
3) It doesn't affect the job-that is to say, there are no "rewards" other than friendship and no "points" taken off for not attending, such as missed opportunities or gossip that occur as a direct result of the event and can hurt you later
4) There is an emergency

But, is it ever okay to forgo an office party because you just don't want to go, or even to summarily "opt out" of office social events altogether?  I mean, in the REAL world, parties are optional, an invitation is not a summons, and ideally, it shouldn't matter as long as you finish all your work and you're nice to everyone, right?

[geordicat]

Rule number next one:  If someone is on the phone, and you can visibly see they are on the phone, and they are talking to someone on the phone, do not, ever, under any circumstances start talking to them.  If you do this and they point to the phone and turn away, do not grab their arm in an attempt to stop them and start 'signing' to them.


(grrr this irks me the most at work!)

[Black Delphinium]

Respect the breaks of others. It is not okay to bother someone on their break unless there is an emergency that only they are authorized/trained to deal with(ex: if the handle comes off the restroom sink and water is going everywhere,  bothering the only office maintenance person about it is a good idea).

If a co-worker is on break at the same time as you, it doesn't give you the right to join them and interrupt what they're doing. If they say "I'm not in the mood to chat right now" that is their right.

[Lisbeth]

Watch your alcohol consumption at office social events.  It may be a party, but you're still at work.

Nannerdoman, is it ever okay to forgo office social events altogether?

I'm not Nannerdoman, but I'd say it is when:
1) They occur so frequently that you're shortchanging your partner and/or children
2) They conflict with a major personal event like the wedding of a family member
3) It doesn't affect the job-that is to say, there are no "rewards" other than friendship and no "points" taken off for not attending, such as missed opportunities or gossip that occur as a direct result of the event and can hurt you later
4) There is an emergency

But, is it ever okay to forgo an office party because you just don't want to go, or even to summarily "opt out" of office social events altogether?  I mean, in the REAL world, parties are optional, an invitation is not a summons, and ideally, it shouldn't matter as long as you finish all your work and you're nice to everyone, right?

This is true, but unfortunately, in many cases workplaces don't operate like the real world when it comes to social events.  Some let you opt out; some, overtly or covertly, do things that make an employee who doesn't socialize with the group feel left out or discriminated against, like have sensitive discussions at these events rather than in the workplace, or in other ways cause one's relationships with one's co-workers to deteriorate.

[Brentwood]

Really?  So my pierced ears make me an unprofessional person?  You can see them, after all.

I disagree that this is an etiquette point.  'Dress appropriately for the workplace you're in' is a good rule.  'Follow company policy regarding dress' is a good rule.  Stating that there are rules against 'visible piercings' strikes me as inflammatory and too specific to a particular mindset, and not at all a general enough rule for a list like this. 

I agree. A general rule of thumb would be to follow your workplace dress code. I know of no etiquette guideline that prohibits visible piercings as a rule.

[Lisbeth]

Really?  So my pierced ears make me an unprofessional person?  You can see them, after all.

I disagree that this is an etiquette point.  'Dress appropriately for the workplace you're in' is a good rule.  'Follow company policy regarding dress' is a good rule.  Stating that there are rules against 'visible piercings' strikes me as inflammatory and too specific to a particular mindset, and not at all a general enough rule for a list like this. 

I agree. A general rule of thumb would be to follow your workplace dress code. I know of no etiquette guideline that prohibits visible piercings as a rule.

I addressed this in post #16.