Cubicle Workspace Manners

Although the cubicle workspace has no doors, still there are several things which one should take care of during the working hours. Working within cubicles is somewhat like working in neighbourhood. Your co-workers are adjacent to your workspace and work together to achieve a common goal. In this case, you have to maintain decorum so as not to drive them crazy. Let’s look at some Do’s and Don’ts.

Do not Chit-Chat too often: Though we spend 8-9 hours of the day within the office premises and it is quite natural to have a conversation with our peers and colleagues. But understand the difference between conversation and chit-chat. Remember, you are not there to make friends, you are there to work. Be mindful of the distraction that your chit chat cause to others.

Respect Other’s Privacy: A cubicle is not a cabin and it is an open space, still you should take care of other’s privacy. If someone is taking a call, you should not interrupt and bother them during the call unless it is an emergency situation. While talking, you should also take care of the words you are using. If it is something confidential and you don’t want others to overhear, go to a vacant room. Personal conversations should be outside your workspace.

Do not disrupt abruptly: If you see somebody is engrossed in his/her own work and seems quite unaware of the other things going around, do not disturb him/her unnecessarily. Let him/her finish off the task and then you can talk. If somebody is trying to divert when you are at a critical point of thinking about the project ongoing, you can make him/her understand about the importance of work you are about to do with a smile or a gesture that says, you will get back shortly.

Not too loud: While speaking over the phone, make sure your voice is not too loud. Use headphones if you are listening to songs as this may disturb others sitting beside you. Try not to use loudspeaker too often. Show sensitivity to others’ need to concentrate as well.

Stop before They Pop: There will some co-workers who come and stand at your desk every now and then which is one of the biggest distractions. If you have a tea-coffee partner, set aside time to fill your water bottle or have tea together, so that rest of the time you can focus on your work. If somebody comes to greet you, it’s okay for the first time, but when it keeps occurring throughout the day, you somehow need to raise a red flag but with politeness. Similarly, If you need to have a quick discussion, send a mail or use internal messaging asking for a quick 5-minute discussion about a project.

If you are Foodie: One of my colleagues in the previous organization had a habit of munching something or the other all day long. Her workstation used to be full of chips wrapper, biscuits packets, and other food leftovers. This was surely not a great sight whoever passes her cubicle. Even the food smell distracts other employees sitting near you.

Source: learning.shine.com

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