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Cubicle Courtesy
Are you being a considerate colleague in the office?
by Dr. Beverly Langford, author of "The Etiquette Edge" and president of LMA Communication. Dr. Langford teaches management communication in the Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University.
June 12, 2008
T
he office lined with cubicles has cut costs and increased efficiencies. However, this
open floor plan presents significant challenges. Laughter, loud conversations, or the smell of
pizza can interfere with your concentration and test your patience. The good news is that small
behavioral adjustments can make a huge difference between congeniality and conflict. Here are five
suggestions.
Do a reality check on
your workplace habits and your workspace décor.
What co-worker habits annoy you? Now think about your own behavior. Are you guilty of
anything that might irritate or disturb your co-workers? Do you have a loud voice or a distinctive
laugh? Do you intrude into colleagues’ cubes to chat? Do you come to work sick and sneeze all over
your co-workers?
If you choose to decorate your workspace with personal items, keep it low key and in good
taste. Make sure that what you choose to display doesn’t offend someone else.
Don’t contribute to noise pollution.
For many people, noise rates as the most serious offender in the cubicle world. Use ear buds
for music, and don’t yell across partitions. For impromptu meetings involving more than two people,
find a conference room.
Answer your phone promptly or set it to go into voice mail after two rings. Avoid or limit
use of the speakerphone. Put your cell phone ringer volume on low or vibrate, and take it with you
or turn it off when you leave your office.
Cubicle dwellers complain about neighbors who carry on personal or even intimate
conversations without thinking about who can overhear them. Keep personal conversations in the cube
as neutral and inoffensive as possible, and use your library voice. Find some privacy to conduct
highly personal calls.
Leave last night’s shrimp scampi at home.
Smelly food ranks up there with noise among cubicle offenders. When you pack food to reheat
at work, remember that what smells delicious to you might be disgusting to others. You can eat
whatever you choose in the company cafeteria, a neighborhood restaurant, or on a park bench, but
when you eat in the office, limit your selections to mild or odorless foods. .
Use good “scents.”
A close second in the odor-complaint department is too much perfume. Many people are
allergic to ingredients in these products, prompting some companies to go fragrance-free. Even if
your company has not reacted that aggressively, courtesy dictates that no perfume (or a very light
application) in close quarters and unscented personal care products are the best choice.
Remember that a cubicle is someone’s office. Although cubes don’t match our traditional
concept of offices, remember, they are still “private” spaces, and the people in them don’t need
unwelcome intrusion. You wouldn’t enter a conventional office when the door is closed.
If someone looks busy, assume his or her “door” is closed. Similarly, if you don’t want an
interruption and someone is hovering around your doorway, you might say, “Is there something I can
help you with quickly? I’m on deadline, but I can answer a question.”
Creating a harmonious workplace
Today’s workplaces are communities in which co-workers experience personal and
organizational successes and failures, celebrating good times and surviving crises. At the same
time, stress levels are high and the pace is frantic. If we work together to make our workplace a
pleasant place to gather, interact, create, and achieve, we will all benefit, both as individuals
and as organizations.
Beverly Y. Langford is president of
LMA
Communication, a consulting, training, and coaching firm that works with organizations and
individuals on strategic communication, effective interpersonal communication skills, team
building, and leadership development. She also the author of The Etiquette Edge.
