30 Dos and don'ts of the workplace

Dynamics of Corporate are totally different than schools, where more you study more you get marks. Corporate is complex place. I am listing out 30 do's and dont's of the workplace. I hope they will help you in your career.

1. Do not abuse resources of office: It is not professional to abuse office resources for personal use. Office may provide you telephone, internet, cab, fax etc. Do not use them for personal use, if people in office or senior people come to know about it, you will end up distorting your image or at extremes you can loose your job.
   


2. Be discreet: One should always maintain a professional distance with people in office. It does not matters how close you get acquainted with the people in office, never tell everything about your personal life. Your financial condition, future plans, social activities, source of extra income are few things which have to be kept confidential. Remember no matter how much you love your colleagues or they love you, when there is situation, your best friend may take advantage of your personal information. They may tern jeolous of you and start creating problems for you.
   


3. Do not laugh aloud: Not only laughing but talking on phone, talking with colleagues in office has to be done quietly. Your collegues can be ingrossed in their work and they do not like getting disturbed.


4. Office romance: This is one of the best career killer. There will not be any organization on earth who would like to compensate people doing romance in office. It brings down productivity. There can be little positive outcome like people may start liking office more than home but still it does not help productivity. You have to be extra careful if the person you are involve with is your direct boss or subordinate. If you are really hooked on someone try to keep it outside office or do it very secrectly. A little bit of firting can keep the workplace alive but serious romance will not be allowed by any organizations. It pollutes office culture.
   


5. Respect seniors: Sometimes it happens that yongsters are little bit more informed or may be more talented, than seniors in management but it does not mean, you strat walking over everybody in office. If seniors finds out that you think you are better than them they will try all means to let you down. You should be very tactful while dealing with seniors and respect the presence of beauracracy in corporate hierarchy.


6. Mix with people: Do not stay aloof from people. First of all you may loose some vital information and second of all people having better social skills are chosen for promotions. Some people having great expertise in there area of work, feel suppressed because they were not promoted. They should improve there people skills.
   


7. Do not gossip: Spreading rumors and gossiping about people can be a great fun, but this fun comes with great risk. If you are caught you will find your self in sticky situation. In some situations you may be gossiping to the friend of object of gossip. You should go to office for work.
   


8. Dress to the occasion: Dressing professionally will pay rich dividends in course of time. Imagine you find CEO in elevator and you are not dressed properly. Dressing to the occasion is the common sense that, one should practice. Your confidence has a lot to do with, how do you appear in public.
   


9. Personal calls: Taking to many prolonged personal call during working hours is unprofessional and you are inviting trouble for your self.
   


10. Looking into other's monitor: Every time you get the curiosity what other guy beside your cubical is doing, resist your self. Peeping into other's screen is violation of privacy. Even if you are boss, stay away from this habit.
    


11. Disturbing for small things: The last thing anybody would like, to get disturbed while that person in engrossed in something. Asking for small think life spelling of a word or opinion about something, is irritating for most of the people.
    


12. Be a team player: According to your understanding and idea of productivity try your best, to contribute to organization by all means. After all organization is collection of people working in teams. Being a individual great performer is good but you have to work for the team not your self. Most of the bosses like people, who can be part of a cohesive team.
    


13. Do not give completely different opinion just for sake of being unique: Some people are obsessed with the idea that they are totally correct /unique /different. People will hate you if you keep doing that. Moreover sometime it is good if things happen, the way everybody else likes. If you really feel, things are going wrong just make people aware of potential problem and let everybody reach a consensus.
    


14. Do not go out of the campus very often: One should not be absent from office for personal work like bank, bill payment, quick appointment with doctor etc. May be you are needed in office urgently when you are chilling outside campus.
    


15. Check your extra curricular activities: Participating in too many events of organization or volunteering, may give your colleagues impression that you have a lot of free time. So balance you act.
    


16. Let people know, you are better: Just being better and sitting in a corner of office is not sufficient for success. Learn to market your self. Being famous will insure your survival. You should also be sure that you are not crossing corporate hierarchy and posing threat for you senior. Make sure you are inside your area of influence.
    


17. Do not make juniors do personal work: It is one of the unprofessional practice that some bosses do. Your junior colleague is a resource from organization for official purpose, you can not use it for personal use. Moreover your subordinate may find it against his/her self pride. They may not like to work with you on projects later on, or they may simply complain to management.
    


18. Be proactive: Being proactive is a way of living. Everyone does what is told, but how many times you have done something on your own, warned your team about potential risk, suggested your boss a better way of doing things. One has to careful about doing it too much, you may end up wasting your time or resources of organization without permissions of seniors. Do not force the things and become a nuisance by over doing it.
    


19. Listen to others: Listening to somebody with empathy can do wonder for that person and also improve you relationship with that person and reputation in office.
    


20. Do as Romans do: One should try to understand the fact that every organization has a culture. Try to understand the cultural pattern then act accordingly. For example you can follow other's timing for coming and going, dressing sense, behavior etc.
21. Substance Abuse: It is written in every HR manual, make sure you respect the law.
    


22. Official gatherings: Party or outing with colleagues is still a formal thing. Never overdo the things. If you drink too much, you will end up saying or doing something terrible. No body will say anything but your true colors will be exposed and you will no more be respected by your seniors.
    
23. Control temperament: Showing anger or shouting at people is considered unprofessional. If you have to do that then you have to learn dynamics of corporate. It never solves a problem. There are so many peaceful ways of killing people in corporate. Involve seniors, do you part correctly, do not force somebody else to do his part. If you are manager then giving them poor performance rating is better incentive than shouting at your subordinates.
    
24. Admire people: If someone has done well admit it sincerely and give the person his due credit. But stay away from insincere flattery, most of the people can sense it .
    
25. Do not look happy: Whole office is under great stress and you are blinging in office with radiant smile, it creates a paradox. Hide you emotions if possible, you are happy that simply means that you do not have enough work for most of the people in office.
    
26. Add value: Try to understand the fact that everybody gets paid according to the proportion of the value addition to the organization. Try you best to add value to organization and justify it in your appraisal process. One should try his best, to move toward the jobs who add more value to organization.
    
27. Prove that you are indispensable: One of my friend once told me a corporate wisdom that "No body is irreplaceable". Still try your best to remain indispensable by various means.
    
28. Behave professionally: No matter how friendly you become with the people in office and boss, you should behave in a sophisticated manner. Common mannerism is very important factor for your success. You should polish the way to talk, walk and deal with people.
    
29. Office politics: Having social reputation of straightforward person is far more beneficial than a political crook. Politics is integral part of dynamics of corporate but is has to be positive. Only sheer force or skills can not keep you alive, be tactful and alert. Corporate is full of invisible bloodshed and violence, people eat each other everyday.
    
30. Watch your smell: Your socialization will suffer if you smell unpleasant. Not body likes a stinker. Putting on some fragrance is good but be watchful about quantity and quality, do not overwhelm people. Bad breath is one of the reason why people run away from you.
    

I would summarize by saying that these are only guidelines. Real life job environment can be very different and challenging but still try your best of follow them.