Almost everyone has dealt with a nightmare coworker. Unfortunately, that coworker might be you if you don't follow some basic rules when you interact with others on the job:
Keep your personal conversations private. Unless you want people eavesdropping on what you are up to, take your cell phone outside or at least in a room where you can close the door. Otherwise, you'll find everything you say repeated by the resident gossip.
Use your inside voice. If you are excited about something, whether it is what happened on last night's "Survivor" or some great quarterly results, never, ever shout. Raising your voice makes people assume that something is wrong, or, worse, it just annoys the people around you who prefer working in quiet.
Turn your cell phone ringer to vibrate. When you are in a meeting or away from your desk and your cell phone rings, your co-workers will have to sit through your ringtone until it switches over to voice mail. This rule applies double if you use a specific song for your ringtone. You might think you can never get enough of "Come On, Eileen," but it is a sure bet that your coworkers are sick of it.
Keep your hands to yourself. Whether you are in a relationship with someone or just have a habit of patting people on the back, it's best to limit any touching to shaking hands while you are in the office. People have wildly different comfort zones.
Don't distract others from their work. All the rules above are variations of this basic rule. Everyone is in the office to work, and workplace efficiency comes first. When you have a slow day, you may be free to chat, but be courteous toward other employees who have deadlines to meet. There's nothing wrong with a few conversations, but, if that coworker is taking occasional glances toward her desk or the clock, start wrapping up the talk.
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 | No workplace is complete without quirky coworkers and office politics. However, some coworkers can make getting through the day difficult. Here is how to cope with difficult coworkers until you can escape. |
While office politics can seem scary, it really isn't that difficult to master. All you need to do is pay attention to people's behavior. This FAQ can help you with the finer points of getting along with your new coworkers. |
No matter what career path you follow, there will always be a certain cloud over the workplace. That cloud is called office politics. Most of us have probably accepted this little bug as an unfortunate fact of life. |
