Office Ettiquette 101

One might ask themselves, "What is office etiquette?"

Supposedly, it would be a set of rules to abide by that would otherwiise be deemed socially acceptable. Or at least that would be a Webster-ish version.

But every now and then it is time to go back to basics, sort of a refresher of sorts.

Let's start with yourself. What you may consider acceptable behaviour at home
might not be tolerable in an office environment. Therefore, avoid the following;

• Clipping toenails or any other personal grooming at your desk or around co-workers
• Refrain from musical outbursts of a gaseous kind, no matter how impresive
• Even on the hottest of days, the pants stay on - not open for debate

Language is another often overlooked form of acceptability in terms of office etiquette. What might be perfectly fine for yourself could be highly offensive for a co-worker. It's quite easy to upset others through casual language, and typically without being aware of it. A couple simple rules to follow in this area;

• If you sound like a trucker, you might want to rethink your choice of words
• If you're telling jokes and have to look around who's listening, they might not be appropriate

This probably just scratches the surface, but it's a start.