To help cubicle workers be as productive as possible, here are some etiquette tips.
Be professional. When working in a cubicle, employees must recognize that they are expected to be professional at all times. That includes having incoming and outgoing personal telephone calls be the exception rather than the rule. That includes having too many personal knickknacks that look more like clutter than symbols of the professional you aspire to be.
Don’t assume a co-worker has time to talk. When visiting a peer’s cubicle, it’s important to tell the person in one or two sentences what you would like to talk about. Then ask the person if he or she has the amount of time you need to discuss it.
Hands to yourself. Employees need to respect their peers by not taking things from cubicles without asking first. Keep your hands off a cube dweller’s desk. Just because there’s no door doesn’t mean you can help yourself to their paper clips or stapler.
Inside voices. Since even the best cubicles are not completely soundproof, workers must be conscious of the volume of their voices, whether they are speaking to someone in their cubicle or on the phone. You do not want to share your conversation with the entire row of cubicles and you don’t want to disrupt their work. You also don’t want to be distracted by their conversations and calls.
Keep quiet. Since employees can hear what’s going on in the cubicles around them, workers should keep the sounds coming from their cubicle to a minimum. Using earbuds when listening to music, picking up the phone after one or two rings, tuning the ring volume on their phone to the lowest setting and avoiding screensaver sound effects. When away from your cubicle, set your phone to take voice messages. If leaving your cellphone behind while you go down the hall for coffee, place it on off or vibrate.
Minimize hallway conversations. While it can be convenient and productive to have a quick work conversation in the hallway with a colleague, they can be very distracting to employees working inside their cubicles. This has implications for confidentiality, but can also be disruptive to those trying to get some work done. Be mindful of the potential for disruption and step to a convenient conference room or to a general corridor away from the cubicles.
No confidential meetings. Employees should avoid discussing personal and confidential matters in their cubicles. Confidential matters are just that confidential.
No eavesdropping. Cubicle workers should avoid listening in on their peer’s conversations or checking out what’s on a co-worker’s computer while that person is gone. Never read someone’s computer screen or comment on conversations you’ve overheard. Resist answering a question you overheard asked in the cube next to you.
No personal grooming. Avoid grossing out those nearby, employees should find some place more appropriate than their cubicle to tend to their grooming needs. Use the restroom not your cubicle for personal grooming.
No pop-ins. Rather than just stepping inside a co-worker’s cubicle, employees should act like there’s an invisible door stopping them. If you are passing by another’s cubicle and would like to stop in for a moment, it is appropriate to do so either when the person makes eye contact with you, isn’t on the phone, talking with another or doesn’t look as though he or she is deep in thought.
No speakerphone. One of the biggest distractions for employees working in cubicles can be when a co-worker nearby uses their speakerphone to make or answer a call. Most conference rooms are set up with a phone in which conference calls can be placed.
Pleasant fragrances. Just as noise easily travels between cubicles, so do fragrances and odors, cubicle workers should avoid to wear a strong fragrance to work, as they can be very irritating to colleagues with allergies. Also avoid unpleasant odors in your lunch choices or save the stinky fish for the lunchroom, not your desk.
Working in a cubicle presents employees with challenges on a daily basis and can be a tough endeavor. One of the challenges is how co-workers with different personalities, working styles and preferences and from different cultures can work successfully in a cubicle environment. From a lack of privacy to noisy neighbors, getting your work accomplished in such cramped confines can sometimes be a difficult chore. In order to make the working environment productive for everyone involved, it is critical that employees be respectful of those around them. Bottom line, common courtesy and respect will go a long way in ensuring a peaceful coexistence with your fellow residents of cubicle land.
