We live at a time where manners are important. Actually they have always been important throughout history but have undergone significant changes since then. Many traditions have evolved and nowadays we have new habits and rules to live by. Whether our behavior is “acceptable” or not is up to other people to say. The thing is that the term “acceptable” has also transformed and our perceptions are now different than they were, let’s say, 2 centuries ago.
So behaving properly at work surely means that you need to be polite. This really goes without saying and is something that we should not probably even mention. But still, be kind to others, give them a helping hand when they need it and you will quickly find out that people will be happy to be around you. If you grow close you might start running errands for each other and before you know you will be assisting someone with their with cleaning their home. But providing your colleagues with cleaning services is not the focal point of this article even though you should do it when asked and it will surely pay off. There are more things to be careful of when you go to work daily and meet the same people over and over again.
Day one is perhaps the most important one to you because it will set the tone. The first impression is crucial and you want to be liked by others. You might not have the chance to introduce yourself to everyone and will see people who might be your superiors without you suspecting it. This is why you want to make a good impression on everyone in office. Here are a few more tip.
Most offices have some sort of a kitchen space for everyone to use. Don’t act like this is the kitchen at your house because it is not. You need to play by some rules that might not be written down. If you are to leave some food in the fridge make sure you put a label on it with your name and the date you put it in there. This will allow people to know whether it should be thrown away after some time. You shouldn’t allow things to get to this as you should eat the food before it goes bad. Always wash your plate and your cup – don’t leave them in the sink. Your mother doesn’t work there!
If you make eye contact with a colleague always make sure you smile and nod. This goes even for people to whom you still haven’t introduced yourself. At the cafeteria you don’t want to eat alone separated from the others. Try to be social and if you pass by a table with a group of colleagues that you work with simply ask if you could join. If you are first at lunch and therefore sit alone, offer others to join you.
Basically if you are simply a normal person you will not look like an awkward colleague at work.
