From discussing the details of last night’s date on your personal mobile to eating a particularly pungent lunch at your desk, working in an office comes with a list of unspoken etiquette rules that you may find yourself breaking.

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Did you know that good office design is one of the best ways of promoting pleasant office manners? We have seen and refurbished hundreds of offices to create a better way of working and although staff productivity and efficiency is always high on the wish list, creating a calmer, more respectful working atmosphere can’t be underestimated.

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We’ve identified the top 4 office etiquette faux pas and highlighted how these can be solved with a few changes:-

Cluttered workstations – If you believe an organised desk area promotes an organised mind, you’ll know stacks of paper, coats, bags and piles of shoes are not conducive to a productive day. We’ve even read that some workers are negatively influenced by their colleagues’ messy desks. Personal lockers, a central place to hang coats and gym bags, and more storage go a long way to helping all employees streamline their personal workspace and neaten the overall appearance of the office.

Eating at desks – Eating at your desk may buy yourself an extra 10 minutes of work time but your colleagues won’t thank you if the whiff of a Wensleydale and tuna melt puts them off their project. A fresh look at office space planning can almost always result in a small room for people to eat lunch in, or the refurbishment of a kitchen can yield a bar-style counter with stools and an extractor fan.

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Noise distractions – Mobile phones don’t just ring with a call – they ping with emails, WhatsApp messages, texts and social media notifications, so peace can be repeatedly shattered. In addition, the curse of an incoming call can be the bane of co-workers’ lives in an open plan office – even if the conversation is strictly professional. Workstation re-specification can incorporate noise confining screens so sound travels less and break-out rooms can be planned in for privacy.

Kitchen mess – No forks, no clean mugs, a mound of unclaimed Tupperware and a sink that’s overflowing with the fallout of yesterday’s lunch? Almost every office worker will identify with this kitchen snapshot but scenes like this can be avoided with a refit that can incorporate extra cabinets, shelving and the installation of a dishwasher.

If you’re finding it hard to enforce good office etiquette, give us a call and we can discuss some simple office refurbishment solutions to improve your workplace. Contact us today.