Employee Etiquette – Codes of Conduct necessary for an Individual at Work

Etiquette refers to good manners required by an individual to find a place in the society and gain respect and appreciation from others.

Individuals working in organizations to earn a living for themselves are called employees. It pays to be a little mature and sensible at the workplace. Avoid being too casual.

Employee Etiquette

Employee etiquette refers to codes of conduct an individual should follow while at work.

Let us go through some employee etiquette:

• Respect your organization to expect the same in return. Don’t treat your organization as a mere source of earning money. Remember your organization is paying you for your hard work and not for gossiping and loitering around.

• Reach office on time. If your office timing is 9 AM, make sure you are there at 8.50 AM. It is essential to be disciplined at the workplace.

• Leave all your personal problems out the moment you step in the office. It is unprofessional to mix personal and professional life. Keep them separate.

• Greet your fellow workers with a smile.

• Follow the professional dress code. Never wear anything which shows much of your skin. Avoid wearing jeans, capris, T shirts, shorts etc to work. Female employees should not wear revealing dresses or deep neck blouses to work.

• Never ever enter office under the influence of alcohol. It is an offence.

• As a responsible employee you have no rights to share confidential information with any of the external parties under any circumstances. Data in any form must not be leaked to anyone who bears no relation with the organization.

• Keep your cell phones in the silent mode to avoid disturbing others sitting around you. Loud ring tones at the workplace are a strict no no. Avoid long personal calls during office hours. Wearing ear buds at the workplace is unacceptable.

• Keep your workstation free of unwanted documents and files. Avoid having lunch at your desk. It creates mess.

• Learn to own your mistakes. Stick to your statements. Stay away from blame games and nasty politics at the workplace. Remember conflicts and misunderstandings lead you nowhere. It is always better to discuss issues face to face and reach to a mutually acceptable solution.

• While communicating through emails, make sure your boss is in the loop. It is foolish to hide things from him. Master the art of writing emails. Emails must be self explanatory and a clear reflection of one’s thoughts.

• Respect your fellow workers. Help them whenever required. Never give them wrong suggestions.

• Treat all your fellow workers as one irrespective of their education and designation in the organization. Female employees must be treated with respect and dignity.

• Never take undue advantage of your position. Do not ask for personal favours from your subordinates. Too much of friendship at the workplace is bad.

• Respect each other’s privacy. Do not open envelopes not meant for you. It is bad manners to read your colleague’s email or check his messages.

• Stay away from controversies. Do not spread rumours around. It is strictly unprofessional.