Office cubicles have been around a long time and so has the long list of annoying and bad habits that seems to grow as technology advances. If you work from a cubicle, try this experiment. Pretend you are the President or CEO of the company. Look around your cubicle and ask yourself if it looks like the President of the company works there, or if your behavior is that of a CEO. If it’s hard for you to imagine that, then ask yourself if you would mind either one of those people hanging out in your cubicle with you for a day. Would they be impressed with what they saw?

Here are the top 10 tips on good cubicle manners:

  1. The walls are not soundproof. There may be walls, but everyone around you can hear private phone conversations, radio playing, gum smacking, giggling, etc. Be kind to your office neighbors and keep your noises within the confines of your cube.
  2. No yelling across cubicles. It may be true that your co-worker two cubes down can hear you when you yell to them; this does not make it acceptable. You should either call them on the phone if you need to speak to them or walk down to their cube. The exercise will be good for you anyway.
  3. Do not use speaker phone. If you happen to have a speaker phone in your cube, do not be tempted to use it while you multi-task. Of course, everyone around you will hear the entire conversation. If you have to make a conference call, reserve a conference room.
  4. No prairie-dogging. This is when you peer over the wall of someone’s cubicle. Although the walls are low enough to gaze over, you should go around to the opening and treat it as a doorway. Observe if it is a good time to speak to your co-worker and ask permission before walking in.
  5. Not a nail salon. Your cubicle is not the place to paint your finger or toe nails. Even if you do it during your break time or lunch hour, it isn’t appropriate. You want to maintain a proper level of professionalism at all times and no one wants to see nail clippings in the trash, listen to filing sounds, or smell nail polish or remover while they are working.
  6. Not a dressing room. If you are going somewhere after work and need to change your clothes, be sure to use the restroom. Your cubicle does not offer enough privacy and someone may unknowingly walk in on you, making everyone uncomfortable.
  7. Keep your shoes on. Make sure your shoes are comfortable enough that you do not feel tempted to take them off at work. No one wants foot odor circulating around the office like cold germs on an airplane.
  8. Not a restaurant. Some people like to eat at their desks so they can continue to get work done. If this is okay with your supervisors, then you may do so, but you will want to be considerate of others working around you. Don’t eat foods that are strong smelling like a tuna fish and onion sandwich. Avoid things that make loud crunching sounds. And don’t invite your office buddy to lunch with you in your cube and chit-chat for 30 minutes. Go to the office break room, kitchen, or a restaurant so others can get their work done.
  9. Decorate tastefully. If you are old enough to have a job where you work in a cubicle, then you are old enough to leave your McDonald’s Happy Meal collection and Justin Bieber poster at home. Pictures of loved ones, nicely framed, are wonderful to display. A child’s artwork is fine. But don’t just keep adding to the collection taking up every inch of wall space. When you have a new picture or new artwork, take down the old one rather than turning it into a collage.
  10. Community Candy Jar. If you have a candy jar in your cube that is in plain sight, then you should be willing to share with others. If this bothers you, then don’t have candy sitting out.

Use common sense and be considerate of others and you will be well on your way to becoming the company President or CEO.

Wishing you much happiness and success!
Patricia Rossi, America’s Etiquette and Protocol Coach, www.patriciarossi.com