Desk Etiquette – Codes of Conduct required at the Workstation

Etiquette refers to certain rules and regulations necessary for an individual to follow to find a place in the society. One must be courteous enough for others to draw inspiration and look up to him. An individual without good manners is often lost in the crowd and fails to make his mark.

Keep personal life separate from your professional life. One needs to be a little more mature and behave sensibly at the workplace. No matter what, you just can’t afford to adopt a casual attitude at work. One needs to be careful about what he wears, what he speaks, how he interacts with his fellow workers and so on for an everlasting impression.

An individual spends his maximum time at the workplace and thus it is essential for him to feel comfortable there. Every employee should be assigned a separate workstation for him to concentrate on his work and contribute to his level best. A separate workstation also ensures employees do not interfere in each other’s work.

Let us go through some Desk Etiquette:

• Keep your workstation clean and organized.
• Make sure you don’t throw paper and wrappings here and there. Throw them in dustbin.
• Throw all unwanted pens, pencils, highlighters, erasers, markers and so on. Keep all your stationery items at their proper places. Throw away what all you don’t need.
• Avoid keeping stacks of files at your desk. It gives a cluttered look to your workstation. Keep them at their respective drawers with a label on top of each file to avoid unnecessary searching.
• Avoid bringing soft toys, photoframes, candle stands to work.
• The official phone should be used only for official purposes. Avoid long calls as your Boss might need you urgently.
• Don’t put posters of your favourite celebrities on the walls at the workplace. It is completely unprofessional and childish.
• Keep a notepad and pen handy to jot down important contact numbers. Avoid writing on walls or loose paper.
• Eating at the workstation attracts cockroaches and insects. Go to the cafeteria for lunch. Not only it will keep your desk clean but also allow you to relax and spend quality time with your colleagues. If you have the habit of eating chocolates or wafers, make sure you throw the wrappers in dustbin. Ask the housekeeping staff to clean up the leftovers.
• Never peep into other’s workstation. Knock before entering into boss’s cabin.
• Take care of your tone and pitch while speaking. Remember there are other employees sitting around you as well.
• If you need to talk to any of your colleagues, use the extension phone. Never shout from your desk. It is bad manners and disturbs others. If you do not have access to the extension phone, get up and walk to the other person’s desk.
• Keep your car keys, Bluetooth, earphones and other personal belongings at one place. Female employees should not keep their bags on the desk. Male employees can also keep their wallets in their desk drawer but do remember to take it back home.
• Develop the habit of using a table top calendar. Mark important tasks against the deadlines to avoid forgetting them.
• Ask the attendant to clean your drawer once in week. Staple important documents together and keep them in their respective files.
• Avoid giving unnecessary printouts.
• Turn off your printer, scanner, computer, light when you leave for the day.
• Do not bring newspaper from home and pile on your desk.
• Smoking at the workstation is an offence.