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In Office Etiquette Do’s & Don’ts Part 1, I outlined things NOT to do whilst working in an office. Part 2 will be the opposite i.e. tips and tricks TO DO in the office to ensure a memorable stay and a job well done! As promised in part 1 *clears throat and continues reluctantly*…I’ll be sharing what exactly it was I did that you shouldn’t.

1) Do reply to e-mails

More often than not, e-mails are the primary method of communication. You’ll even find yourself sending them to the person sitting next to you, reason being they’re fast, reliable and retrievable. You can’t pretend that you never received an e-mail; if it’s in my sent box then it’s reached your inbox, reply ASAP to avoid embarrassment.

2) Do plan ahead

“by failing to prepare you are preparing to fail” – Benjamin Franklin. Organisation is a key to success, even if you aren’t great at your job, good organisational skills will show your managers that you’re a serious individual.

3) Do ask questions

You aren’t expected to know everything, so ask for help if you need it. Don’t suffer in silence.

4) Do power nap

It’s in the business’s best interest. Fatigue reduces the quality of your work, fact. Rather than shovelling sh*t, take a 20-minute nap (set an alarm if need be, a quiet one though) and take a snooze in the toilet cubicles. Don’t get caught nodding off at your desk or worse still a meeting.

5) Do wear a watch

That way you have no excuse to be late for anything. Moreover it looks professional, and you’ll be able to time those 20-minute naps.

6) Do pay attention to protocol

Rules & Regulations are there for a reason, there’d be nothing worse than loosing your job by accepting a menial gift or sending an abusive e-mail. Most firms have guidelines for almost everything and if you aren’t sure about the policy, then ask (numero 3).

7) Do go to socials

Socials are an opportunity for you to learn more about your colleagues in a relaxed environment and a way for you to meet people that you wouldn’t have otherwise. What’s more they’ll supply you with jokes, which will help pass those groggy and mundane Monday morning. Whilst you don’t have to be everyone’s friend, being anti-social will make you stand out for all the wrong reasons.

8) Do separate personal from private

Whilst there may be a fine line between life and death there’s a clear distinction between personal and private; If it’s got nothing to do with work, don’t do it at work. If you need to contact a company before 5 for personal reasons, then use your lunch break or a “cigarette break”.

9) Do leave skid marks

Leaving a mark is important, but don’t try too hard there’s nothing worse than a “keeno”, if you follow most of the points set out in these articles most of the time, you’ll be more than fine.

10) Do stay in contact

I can’t emphasise how important this is, so I won’t. Just stay in contact…No seriously, do.

11) Don’t do what I did – :’(

I suppose I’m obliged to tell you. But before I do let’s make a deal, you can only read it, if you comment below with your most embarrassing work moment. If it’s really bad then you can e-mail it in instead. Deal?!

It was a Friday afternoon, my team had just met a major milestone and a colleague decides to take me out for a celebratory drink. The venue is O’Neils. Drinks are ordered. “That’ll be £9.50.” Asked the barmaid. I dipped my hand into my pocket and whipped out my card, “Tobes, don’t be silly this is on me.” My colleague brought out a card.
“Nah, I insist let me pay for this one.”
“No I won’t, it’s on me.” Neither of us were giving in and the barmaid was becoming impatient. I quickly shoved my card into the machine and punched in my pin. I was content; I had won the standoff and “new boy” Tobi was paying for the drinks! I felt like a part of the team.
“Uhhmmm” The barmaid paused. “The payment has been declined sir.” Silence filled the room and time slowed down. I quickly recalled all transactions made that day and all direct debits. Nothing. I couldn’t think of any reason why it wouldn’t go through.
“Are you sure? Try it again, I know these machines can mess up sometimes.” I said with confidence.
“Sorry sir… do you have another card?” Nada. And my pockets were empiter then a banker’s heart.

If you’re offered a drink, take it.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, April 1st, 2010 at 11:26 am and is filed under Freelance Beginnings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.