Workplace etiquette

[Nannerdoman]

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.

Oh, double pod.  At a previous job, people would come up to me as I sat reading and say, "I know you're on your break, but . . . "  But what?  Your question couldn't wait for a maximum of 15 minutes?

Re. whether or not one may opt out of office events, it probably varies according to the organizational structure.  I tend to opt out of office showers because I just don't enjoy showers.  The annual holiday get-together is held during work hours, so I luck out there.

Re. socializing with particular co-workers:  Hey, if you make a real friend in the office, go for it.  The important thing is not to make the relationship so exclusive that others feel left out, and not to let the friendship interfere with getting the job done.

[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.

Oh, double pod.  At a previous job, people would come up to me as I sat reading and say, "I know you're on your break, but . . . "  But what?  Your question couldn't wait for a maximum of 15 minutes?

Re. whether or not one may opt out of office events, it probably varies according to the organizational structure.  I tend to opt out of office showers because I just don't enjoy showers.  The annual holiday get-together is held during work hours, so I luck out there.

Re. socializing with particular co-workers:  Hey, if you make a real friend in the office, go for it.  The important thing is not to make the rel@tionship so exclusive that others feel left out, and not to let the friendship interfere with getting the job done.

I was thinking about it because one of my (possibly soon to be ex-coworkers) was sent home for bothering a trainer repeated while she was on her lunch about getting certified on one of the machines. She was on the phone with family and told him to find her after her break, but he wouldn't let up(he's a persistent bugger), and another manager told him to get his stuff and leave for the day.

[YogaChick]

I think the wording of rule #1 is very inflammatory.  Could it be worded differently?

1. Observe the standard of dress appropriate for your company and/or position.

Is there anything needed other than that?  I'm not sure why referencing strippers or club owners is even there, it just seems provocative to me.

Yeah, I got that sense too--according to the original wording of Rule #1, I must be headed for a life as a stripper or a prostitute because my ears are pierced.

To both of you:  Please check post #16.

I did read it, but "when in doubt, leave them out," gives me the sense that ANY kind of piercings are de facto rude, unless you're told otherwise.  I think that's a little extreme, because MOST women I know have pierced ears.

[penelope2017]

I think the wording of rule #1 is very inflammatory.  Could it be worded differently?

1. Observe the standard of dress appropriate for your company and/or position.

Is there anything needed other than that?  I'm not sure why referencing strippers or club owners is even there, it just seems provocative to me.

Yeah, I got that sense too--according to the original wording of Rule #1, I must be headed for a life as a stripper or a prostitute because my ears are pierced.

To both of you:  Please check post #16.

But post #16 doesn't clear up what these posters are saying. I think these and other posters are saying that there does not need to be a mention of piercings at all. You keep referencing post 16, which still references them. The posters who are querying are suggesting the rule be just to observe your workplace's dress code, removing all other specifics, like references to piercings.

[Nannerdoman]

Not wanting to flog a dead horse and get the thread locked up, but may I suggest a rule about not wearing jewelry that interferes with your ability to do your job?  (I'm specifically thinking about women who must remove one earring to use the telephone.  If your job involves a lot of phone work, then you should probably wear earrings that don't get in the way when you hold a receiver to your ear.  That's just an example.)

[Elle]

Not wanting to flog a dead horse and get the thread locked up, but may I suggest a rule about not wearing jewelry that interferes with your ability to do your job?  (I'm specifically thinking about women who must remove one earring to use the telephone.  If your job involves a lot of phone work, then you should probably wear earrings that don't get in the way when you hold a receiver to your ear.  That's just an example.)

Nails that are too long to type with come to mind as well

[geordicat]

When someone is on vacation, unless it's *really really really* important, don't call them.  Don't call to find out where the key to the supply cabinet is when it's been in the same location for 4 years.  Don't call to see if Bob is out today because chances are, the person on vacation isn't there at work to tell you.  Don't call to see when that person is coming back when they have left a big sign on their desk with that information, left a recorded message with that information, set up an out of office reply with that information and put it on the very large very visible group calendar.

(can you guess what happened to me this past weekend when I was on vacation?)

[Brentwood]

Not wanting to flog a dead horse and get the thread locked up, but may I suggest a rule about not wearing jewelry that interferes with your ability to do your job?  (I'm specifically thinking about women who must remove one earring to use the telephone.  If your job involves a lot of phone work, then you should probably wear earrings that don't get in the way when you hold a receiver to your ear.  That's just an example.)

Nails that are too long to type with come to mind as well

Those are good rules of thumb to live by, but I don't think they come under the heading of etiquette.

[Elle]

Not wanting to flog a dead horse and get the thread locked up, but may I suggest a rule about not wearing jewelry that interferes with your ability to do your job?  (I'm specifically thinking about women who must remove one earring to use the telephone.  If your job involves a lot of phone work, then you should probably wear earrings that don't get in the way when you hold a receiver to your ear.  That's just an example.)

Nails that are too long to type with come to mind as well

Those are good rules of thumb to live by, but I don't think they come under the heading of etiquette.

Yeah, now that I think about it you're right. 

[Bob Ducca]

I read the entire thread, including post 16.  You haven't altered the OP to reflect that change, so I was uncertain if you were going to make a change.  Please excuse me.

[Nannerdoman]

Avoid forming workplace cliques.  When a new co-worker wants to join a conversation, don't freeze her out or look at her as though she'd just landed from Mars.  Initiate conversations with co-workers outside your immediate group. 

[snowball's chance]

- When leaving a business-related voice mail for someone other than a colleague:

- identify yourself clearly.  If you have an unusual first &/or last name, say it clearly, even better, spell it.  Also a good idea to ID yourself at the beginning and end of the message if you're calling for the first time, and if your message is a couple minutes or longer  "Hi, this is Ann.  I'm calling regarding blah, blah, blah, blah . . . .  please call me back at ________.  Again, my name is Ann."

- speak clearly and at a regular pace and volume.  Don't mumble, whisper, shout over traffic, or talk with food or gum in your mouth.

- give your call-back number slowly and clearly, even better, say it twice, if the person needs to write it down.  On my work voice mail it's not as easy to play a message back as it is on other VM systems I have used.  Also, it's helpful to let the person know when to call back, i.e. "I'll be in the office until 5:00", or the location you are calling from if you are in a different time zone.

- give an explanation of why you are calling, but be as brief as possible in your explanation.  If I have no idea who you are or why you are calling, leaving a message like, "This is Ron, call me at ###" is going to put you at the bottom of my Calls to Return list.  If I know who you are and why you are calling, I can save both of us time by looking up/gathering the info I need to answer your question or help with your problem before calling you back.

For outgoing greetings:

- update your voice mail greeting when you come back from being out.  It's not helpful for me to know in mid-April that you'll be out of the office for President's Day, and it makes you look a little foolish.

[RooRoo]

Snowball's Chance reminded me of a few things.

Whether live or recorded, always give numbers one digit at a time, pronouncing them clearly. (5 and 9 are so easy to mix up that aviation radio technique requires one to pronounce 9 as "niner.") Enunciate the consonants particularly well, especially the last one. Leave a small moment between digits for the listener to absorb them. I.e., 2,8,4,5 not "twoeightfourfive."

Change your recorded greeting every day, giving the date. "This is RooRoo in Accounts Receivable, and it is the twentieth of April. I will be out of the office between noon and 4 pm. (rest of message, if any.)"

Adding your department  deflects wrong numbers, and adding the date lets the caller know that "noon to 4 pm" is current info.

It might be a kindness to record a weekend announcement, too. "It's Friday night, and I'll be back at work on Monday at 9." But don't give TMI. Don't say you're on vacation, just out of the office.

Edited to remove off-topic remark

[snowball's chance]

Snowball's Chance reminded me of a few things.

Whether live or recorded, always give numbers one digit at a time, pronouncing them clearly. (5 and 9 are so easy to mix up that aviation radio technique requires one to pronounce 9 as "niner.") Enunciate the consonants particularly well, especially the last one. Leave a small moment between digits for the listener to absorb them. I.e., 2,8,4,5 not "twoeightfourfive."

Change your recorded greeting every day, giving the date. "This is RooRoo in Accounts Receivable, and it is the twentieth of April. I will be out of the office between noon and 4 pm. (rest of message, if any.)"

Adding your department  deflects wrong numbers, and adding the date lets the caller know that "noon to 4 pm" is current info.

It might be a kindness to record a weekend announcement, too. "It's Friday night, and I'll be back at work on Monday at 9." But don't give TMI. Don't say you're on vacation, just out of the office.

Edited to remove off-topic remark

I think it depends on the nature of the position.  At my job, I get cold sales calls from vendors who want to do business with us.  I have learned the hard way that these type of people hear "I'll be back in the office on Monday at 8 AM" and believe if they leave a VM they are getting a return call at that time, when in reality they will never get a return call. 

Also, for people we actually do business with, it doesn't matter if I am in the office, I won't be returning their call until I can run their issue by A, B, & C.

[Ms_Cellany]

An addendum to leaving a voice message:

Say your callback number at the very beginning -- "Hi, this is X from business Y, my number is 123-456-7890. Again, that's 123-456-7890. (rest of message) Again, that's X at 123-456-7890.

It is such a nuisance to have a replay a long voice message to get the number at the end if you missed it the first time. If the callee has to re-play, at least it's right at top.