Office Faux Pas

Office Faux Pas

Office faux pas are inevitable. We all make mistakes and of course, nobody is perfect. However, we should be mindful of the impact our actions have on other people at the office…

After all, we all want a nice & peaceful working environment. If you see some of your habits creeping in, is it time to re-think a few habits or embrace them?

Here are some of the most common office faux pas and mistakes that you should avoid:

• Office food – Bringing smelly food into the office. No, it’s not a good idea to bring in a wheel of stinky cheese and leave it in the fridge over Christmas! A lot of offices have a policy against strong-smelling foods, a prime example is fish in the microwave… some rules aren’t meant to be broken.
• Work Do’s / Christmas party’s – Whilst we all like to let our hair down and blow off some steam at the end of the year, this is not the opportunity to tell your coworkers what you really think of them. Stick to the fizz and have a boogie! Otherwise this can make for an awkward January…
• Stealing stationary – No one is losing sleep over a stolen pen or envelope (that we know of) however, you don’t want to be branded as a repeat offender on the stationary front!
• Chairs –  Borrowing someone’s office chair and adjusting the seat… blasphemous!
• Covid chat – Thanks to COVID-19, inbox phrases like, “Hope you’re coping okay in these crazy times!” “Hope this finds you well in these uncertain times!” or “Stay safe in these difficult times!” are officially the new mundane watercooler chat.
• Reading signs – Last but not least, using the correct toilets. Nothing worse than walking out of the cubicle and bumping into your boss… realizing you are in the men’s. Not your finest moment!

Office faux pas are never fun and can often be embarrassing, but it’s good to remember at the end of the day we have all most likely made a lot of these mistakes. Forgetting to offer your colleague a cup of tea isn’t the end of the world!

If you have any office faux pas you want to share, we’d love to hear at Freedom Works