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How many times was your workflow disrupted because your colleague was busy making weekend plans while speaking loudly on the phone? Here are a few ways to apply the old rules of courtesy in today’s digital age
Picture this…You are at your desk trying to finish a presentation and the deadline isn’t getting any longer. The moment you try to collate all the energy and escalate your concentration levels to execute the assignment at hand, your colleague’s cell phone starts ringing in an ear splitting tone! Aren’t you irritated for not only is your workflow dampened but also you lose the patience and the focus required to work any further, given the extreme pressure you are in and the loud colleague who sits next to you?
Chatting, blogging, conducting private conversations, etc are a part of our daily lives and many of us live in the virtual world of cell phones and networking sites and interact with each other through these mediums today, right? But have we mastered the rules of courtesy while making optimum use of these technology tools, especially while we are at work? “A few behavioural patterns that could disrupt the environment for others in the office such as talking loudly on the phone, having ring tones that could be offensive and loud, spending inordinately large amounts of time on social networking sites, etc must be avoided,” says Dr Pallab Bandyopadhyay, director -human resources, Citrix Systems. “While in a meeting, do not use your mobile phone, unless you need to show your colleagues a text message or an e-mail as a part of the agenda. If you need to answer an urgent call or an email, let others know that you will have to step out for a while and do it outside,” suggests Sandeep Tyagi, director – HR, Haier. “Similarly, when you have to leave your mobile at work, it is good manners not to disturb your colleagues with the ring tone blaring at maximum volume whenever your phone rings. If you have to speak loudly or you want to talk privately, step out of the office to someplace where you can be alone,” adds Tyagi.
Many organisations follow a policy of restricting the usage of networking sites during office hours. Experts suggest that even if you have the accessibility to such sites, it should be used discreetly. Technological advancements have made many things easier at the workplace like a conference call or a chat could be a more productive and cost-effective way of meeting or discussion. But certain courtesies before initiating such calls, must be maintained. “At the beginning of the call, the person initiating the call should ensure that all participants know who is on the line and inform them if they are being recorded,” suggests Punkaj Shankar, global head - human resources, Infogain. Similarly, if you use email as means for official communication, it is advisable to set ‘out of office’ reply that replies to each e-mail you receive informing the sender that you are out of the office and presumably with some alternative contact information and expected time of return,” says Shankar. An employee must be attuned to change and to be successful at work, it is not only the work that matters, but also other aspects like polite behaviour. So watch your actions!
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