Yesterday, I read one of those teaser stories on my Yahoo homepage about 10 Office Faux Pas or something like that. While I don't currently work in an office, I presumed (correctly) I might find fodder for a humorous blog or at least a few good laughs. I was right.
Don't cook food in the office microwave. Keep your shoes on. Use the vibrating feature of your cellphone. Okay, I wasn't going to go there! I am guessing kids today think they will forever be in the dorm, guzzling beer and playing Nintendo DS...Although the same was probably said of my M-TV watching generation.
One "don't" particularly caught my eye. Overusage of smiley faces. A boss cited a post-grad who filled her cubicle with happy faces. She no longer works there, for presumably unrelated reasons. I find myself wondering if her co-workers were on anti-depressents or in need of serotonin if they were bothered by her obsession with the yellow-faced symbol of my youth. Now, I get the need for professionalism in the workplace, especially in our overly casual culture. Flip flops, low cut sundresses, wrinkled shorts, and non-standard English should be left at the door. We have fallen into a pattern of perpetual casual Fridays. But, a little individuality in the corporate world may not be a bad thing.
I've been thinking about personal e-mails. Those peppered with a few exclamation points show exuberance and enthusiasm for life. Ditto the use of colored fonts. I can do without an excess of emoticons. Once in a while is enough.
So, leave the flip flops at home, maybe cut back on the smiley faces in the workplace, and certainly avoid cooking shrimp scampi in the office microwave...unless you bring enough for everyone!
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