Open plan offices – the bane of everyone’s life or a great place for collaborative working?
Working in an open plan office does require a few rules to make it work for everyone. After all, too much distraction can be completely counterproductive but if you practice the basic rules of office etiquette you and your co-workers can exist in harmony.
- Noise: Keep the noise levels to a minimum. We’re not talking about complete silence – no-one likes that! But be mindful that everyone is trying to focus on their work so loud chatter and long discussions should take place outside of the office. And if you’re listening to music, make sure you use headphones or have any radios turned down low so that they don’t impact on your colleagues.
- Smells: Nobody is going to say what you can and can’t bring for your lunch, but you should think about where you’re going to eat strong smelling foods such as fish, eggs, curry etc. You also don’t want to knock out your colleagues with industrial strength perfume/aftershave! And if you work in a hot office, for the sake of your co-workers, please make sure you have adequate deodorant protection! (It’s a good idea to keep a small handy size can in your drawer for emergencies).
- Meetings in the office: Don’t hold meetings in yours (or anyone else’s) workspace. If you’ve got time to schedule a meeting, try to hold it somewhere away from colleagues so you’re not causing a distraction.
- Shouting across the office: A definite No-No! If you have to raise your voice to speak to a colleague two or three desks away, get up and walk across to them. Or you can email them or use phones if you have an internal direct dial system.
- Keep it clean: We’re talking desks here – if your desk is too messy it can be distracting and look unprofessional. Clutter can also be stressful (not just for you but your colleagues too). Open offices might mean you don’t have a lot of storage, but you can maintain a sense or organisation by using trays etc.
- Respect others’ privacy: Sometimes you will overhear private conversations and business discussions that are not intended for your ears. The correct office etiquette to apply in these circumstances is to pretend you’ve heard nothing. And definitely don’t repeat it to others!
- Cleanliness/office cleaning: This is particularly important if you share a desk with someone – no-one wants to work in a dirty office. Don’t leave dirty tissues or half-eaten fruit lying in your bin. Make sure you all dust and hoover at least once a week to keep your workspace looking at its best.
- Be productive: It’s easy to get side-tracked in an open plan office. You check Facebook, answer a personal call, try to sneak out a little early. Just remember in an open office environment, your behaviour is on full display. While colleagues will excuse these little things once in a while, do it too often it can affect morale.
- Phones: In an open office environment, you need to make sure yours isn’t a distraction and a nuisance to others. Put the ringer on silent, don’t have personal conversations on it in the office and make sure notifications are set to vibrate.
- Interrupting: Just because you’re all sitting in an open plan office, it doesn’t mean that everyone is available all of the time. Colleagues will have deadlines and need to concentrate on their work. Don’t assume you can talk to a colleague, always ask first. If they look busy, come back later or send an email that they can respond to at a better time for them.
Whatever you feel about it, the open plan office is here to stay so use these top tips to make the most of your day.
