Employees who practice good office etiquette make it much easier for themselves and their colleagues to work productively.

We recently conducted a survey to find out how office workers feel about workplace etiquette, and the results may surprise you.

What is Office Etiquette?

Office etiquette is an unwritten code of polite, socially acceptable behaviour that should be upheld in the workplace to help staff work happily and productively. Having good manners, treating people with respect and following processes correctly are examples of good workplace etiquette.

Tips for Good Workplace Etiquette:

The following tips for good office etiquette can help you maintain a positive relationship and healthy boundaries with your coworkers.
  1. Keep common areas tidy
  2. Knock before you enter
  3. Stay home if you’re sick
  4. Don’t talk about work on social media
  5. Arrive on time
  6. Stay focused in meetings
  7. Dress appropriately
  8. Have a positive attitude!
So what constitutes bad workplace etiquette? While you’re at work, you should try to avoid the following:
RUDENESS
INAPPROPRIATE PHYSICAL CONTACT
POOR PERSONAL HYGIENE
EXCESSIVE SMALL TALK
LETTING OTHERS DO THE WORK

Office Etiquette Tips: What Do Employees Find Most Annoying?

In our recent survey, we asked office workers a number of questions about their experiences and opinions of poor workplace etiquette.

We asked them about:
Been sworn at in the workplace
Been reprimanded in front of peers
Been spoken over in a meeting
Had a personal remark made about their outfit

Rudeness in the workplace

78% of the employees we asked said they had directly experienced some form of rudeness in the workplace. Interestingly, 92% of the employees we asked said they had never been accused of workplace rudeness despite 78% being on the receiving end.
Had
Had Not
Type of rudeness experienced in the workplace
Been Sworn at in the workplace Been reprimanded in front of peers Been spoken over in a meeting: Had a personal remark made about their outfit:

Physical contact in the workplace

94% of employees said they thought that some forms of physical contact in the workplace are totally acceptable!
Acceptable
Unacceptable
Type of physical contact
A pat on the shoulder A high-five A hug A fist bump A kiss on the cheek

Workplace personal hygiene issues

A huge 72% of employees we asked said that they would take action if they were working with a colleague who had poor hygiene.
Tell the person directly
Raise the issue with HR
Wouldn't do anything
How would the problem be dealt with?
Would
Wouldn't
Who would voice their concerns to/about a colleague
Men Women

Small talk in the workplace

An unbelievable 81% of employees that we asked said that office small talk was irritating! With talk about football or children cited as the MOST annoying.
Irritating
Not Irritating
Small Talk
Trash talking colleagues & clients Forced pleasantries Talking about the weather

Communal tasks in the workplace

We asked employees how many of them had avoided making a cup of tea or coffee simply because they didn’t want to make one for others in the office…
Had
Hadn't
Avoided making a drink
Avoided making a drink

Ricky Martin’s office etiquette tips

“The results about physical contact are pretty surprising. We often hear and read in the media how physical contact at work isn’t acceptable, yet the results of our workplace etiquette survey suggest otherwise. Of course, physical contact isn’t always appropriate or well received so I’d advise it’s essential to be aware of factors such as personality, religion and culture. As what might be regarded as friendly in one culture may be deemed as deeply offensive in another! However, as the results suggest should the relationship be there and requited, it shouldn’t be frowned upon for colleagues to hug, high-five or give one another a pat on the back!”
“Workplace disputes and personality clashes are nothing new. What the results show is how direct people are when handling often sensitive issues. I’d always advise that taking an open and honest approach with colleagues will work better in the long-term, but it’s important colleagues are mindful not to unintentionally offend or create further issues in doing so.” Ricky Martin BSc (Hons) FIRP CertRP MRSC Managing Director, Hyper Recruitment Solutions