Open-plan offices are on the one hand, fantastic for team communication and establishing positive relationships – even friendship – between colleagues. But they have their fair share of qualms. This article on Health24 points out some of the non-virtues of the office plan. And, well, I'm prone to doing quite a few of them, including:
· E-mailing people who sit a few feet away
· Swearing at my computer
· Talking loudly on the phone
· Asking a colleague how to spell a word
· Talking or singing to myself
· Chipping into a discussion that strictly speaking has nothing to do with me
· Assuming everyone is stressed when I'm stressed (doesn't everyone do this?)
· Having a desk cluttered with used coffee cups, piles of papers and magazines
But looking around me… well, our team has a tendency to break these rules of open-office etiquette. We like to think it is part of our "real girls chatting all day" charm.
Hey, we're headed by an editor who wrote a column called "Sod Professionalism". Are you really that surprised?
Anyways, it got us thinking, we can't be the only people who break these rules, right? Right?! Make us feel better by popping in your own irritating office behaviour.
When it comes to office etiquette, my most annoying habit is:
· E-mailing people who sit a few feet away
· Swearing at my computer
· Talking loudly on the phone
· Asking a colleague how to spell a word
· Talking or singing to myself
· Chipping into a discussion that strictly speaking has nothing to do with me
· Assuming everyone is stressed when I'm stressed (doesn't everyone do this?)
· Having a desk cluttered with used coffee cups, piles of papers and magazines
But looking around me… well, our team has a tendency to break these rules of open-office etiquette. We like to think it is part of our "real girls chatting all day" charm.
Hey, we're headed by an editor who wrote a column called "Sod Professionalism". Are you really that surprised?
Anyways, it got us thinking, we can't be the only people who break these rules, right? Right?! Make us feel better by popping in your own irritating office behaviour.
When it comes to office etiquette, my most annoying habit is: