If your coworkers won’t hold the elevator doors for you or you’re the last person to be recommended for a team project, chances are you’re the annoying peer no one jumps for joy to work with. It could be inadvertent habits that serve as turnoffs or even subjective issues that should be avoided for the common good.
Brazen Careerist details common courtesies you can extend to coworkers so you won’t offend or annoy:
Keep the tunes respectful: If you work in close quarters, headphones are always the best way to go. (Although even those can be turned up so loud your coworkers notice, so be careful.)
If you have a little more leeway and can play the radio at your desk, try
to keep your musical choices to ones most generic coworkers wouldn’t find offensive. It doesn’t have to be smooth jazz or golden oldies, but maybe stick to some easier fare like Taylor Swift or Colbie Caillat instead of Drizzy or Nicki Minaj.Clean up after yourself (and, sometimes, other people):
It’s common courtesy to wipe up the coffee you spilled on the counter–but what about refilling the copier when you’re done with your project, even though there’s still a little paper left for the next person (though not enough for a full job)?When you find the copy room table littered with staples and paperclips, do you clear it off to make room for yourself, work around it–or do you add your own contribution to the clutter, figuring that if other people don’t mind leaving a mess behind them, why should you help them out?
Don’t be petty, and don’t (PLEASE don’t) make the receptionist print out one of those “Your Mom Doesn’t Work Here†signs. Just keep things orderly and replace whatever you notice has run out, without making it into a power play.
Read more at Brazen Careerist