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Find Your Work Style

How to Fit in at the Office

Aug 26, 2009 Claudia Perry

Working at home? Laid off? Freelancing? Well, the call has come. It's back to the workforce. Need to brush up on office etiquette? Here are some tips to fit in.

First of all, interview wear should be everyday wear. Emulate co-workers. Leave the flip flops, belly shirts, shorts and message tees at home. The formal look of a suit with a blouse or collared shirt is a home run in any ballpark. Few companies would frown on this attire.

Some companies have business casual days. This does not mean sweatpants and shirts worn for grungy home chores like staining the deck. Once again, take a cue from co-workers. Khakis and a polo shirt work for all genders. “Distressed” denim, not so much. If the clothes want to be beach wear, leave them at home.

Keep Work and Social Life Separate

Do not wear jewelry that makes sounds when it moves. People can hear those bangle bracelets jingling in the next cubicle. They don’t want to, so leave them at home. Also, keep scents confined to a small immediate radius. A woman’s perfume or a man’s cologne shouldn’t be in rooms where they aren’t.

Also, everyone runs late on occasion. Do not call attention to it unless someone says something about it. No one wants to hear about cranky kids, manic school bus drivers or a need for extra time to recover from an extended hot date. People want the work to get done. They do not want to know about anyone's pitiful personal life.

To that end, when using social media, keep in mind that supervisors and coworkers probably are using it too. Honesty about workplace gripes should never be shared on Twitter, Facebook and the like. One group of grocery store workers in Ottawa was shown the door after carping about their company online.

Company E-Mail Belongs to the Company

So when working at home, there was time for a little online shopping and dashing off some chatty e-mails to pals between projects. Now there's that new company e-mail and Internet access, so time to go crazy, right?

Wrong.

Just about every workplace has a company e-mail and Internet use policy. Some companies even go so far as to use monitoring software to check on workers’ online habits. Think once, think twice. Still have that knot in the stomach? Then don’t do it online at work. Like the occasional personal phone call made on a work phone (a practice all but gone thanks to the ubiquity of cell phones), some non-work Internet prowling may acceptable. Obviously, stay away from porn, and ask a co-worker if unsure.

With care and attention to attire, accessories, attitude and online etiquette, it's easy to craft a work style that lets a worker fit in and thrive anywhere and everywhere.

The copyright of the article Find Your Work Style in Career Advice is owned by Claudia Perry. Permission to republish Find Your Work Style in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

A Suit and Tie are Never out of Place at Work