After reading my About Me page on the Mystaffolgy page, you will learn that I have served in the Military and retired and have worked in many different office environments. This varies from working from the inside of a Humvee, cubical, separate office to an open work area inside of a metal shed.
Home Away from Home.
When you think about it, we spend nearly 8 plus hours in the workplace on an average day. For many of us, we spend more time in the office than anywhere else, beside our beds at night. I have read several articles over the years about what makes a great workplace. Here are seven that I have found helpful. If you practice these seven points, things tend to work out when you work in close quarters.
Seven (7) Points
1) Personal space – knock before entering someone’s workspace.
2) Smells – make wise food choices and avoid strong scents, (some people are legitimately allergic to some scents).
3) Noise – avoid speaker phones as this is distracting to others in your work area
4) Communication – visit people in person vs. standing at your desk and yelling across to the other employee
5) Jack/Jill in the box – this is the person who pops up unexpectedly in your workspace without notice.
6) Snacks in the workplace – just because you can see it doesn’t mean it is a community potluck.
7) Breathe – this means simply taking a step back and thinking about the issue and reflecting. Take a moment… It boils down to recognizing that you work with other people. If you follow these steps, it may lead to a more productive and professional environment.
Just Breath and it will be OK
Many of these tips are common sense. Just keep it simple and follow those two rules that I live by the Golden Rule and Platinum Rule.