Some Office Faux Pas

CNNMoney did a great job going over 10 office faux pas that you should avoid to keep yourself off the potential-layoff list (H/T Sarah). I'll list those here and add a comment of my own after each one

1. Don't! Be the Office Downer- This does not mean "don't be serious". It just means that you should be amenable to your co-workers. When your name gets floated around as a potential cut, you want someone going to bat for you.
   
2. Don't! Microwave Fish in the Office- Also, don't pop popcorn unless you're going to share it with everyone. I hate when someone pops a big bag for themselves and it smells throughout the entire office. It's selfish.
   
3. Don't! Go Barefoot- I'm a big fan of kicking off the shoes under the desk. Just make sure if you do, that you have a pair you can quickly slip on. There's nothing wrong with having a pair of shoes to walk to the office and another pair to wear around the office. Just don't be caught as a Shoeless Joe.
   
4. Don't! Set Your Ring Tone to the Jonas Brothers - "Keep your phone on vibrate" is great advice. Recently they handed out new Blackberrys at our office because we switched providers. Everyone wanted to get a new ringtone so they could differentiate their rings when they were away from the desk. One woman decided to go with this one ring that sounds like an alarm is going off. Everyone thinks the fire alarm is going off when her phone rings. It's awful and inconsiderate...especially when she takes a long lunch and forgets her Blackberry!
   
5. Do! Save Smiley Faces for Mom- Leave smiley faces out of e-mails, IMs, and any other form of communication unless you are very comfortable with the person. Even then, leave it out. It can't be a good thing. Save it for AIM/Gtalk/MSN
   
6. Don't! Be the Boss' New BFF- Kissing ass is always a problem, but this may not be the worst thing to be in this new environment. Your co-workers usually don't vote to have you laid off--it's the boss' decision. But don't go over the top. You don't want to come off as a kiss ass...even if you are a kiss ass.
   
7. Don't! Read Your Emails Out Loud- Great advice. I had a co-worker who would conduct conference calls at his desk on speakerphone with the volume all the way up. This was his "protest" against not getting an office. Once layoffs came, he didn't have a desk at all.
   
8. Don't! Give Yourself a Mani/Pedi- There's also the time spent giving yourself a mani/pedi as well as the noise. There's no business reason to be doing this at work. I'm sure your co-workers would be a lot happier if you ate lunch while getting a mani/pedi at a local shop for 30 minutes than you spending 30 minutes doing it to yourself at the office. They may even chip in just to get you to leave.
   
9. Don't! Steal Food- Someone was stealing my food for a while. I never caught who it was (though I was tempted to put some eye drops in my food and wait by the bathroom for the culprit). But I took a bite out of my sandwich every morning to deter that person and they never did it again. And one person who caught someone stealing their lunch wasn't so kind--they told management about what they saw and the person was given a warning. They weren't around after the first round of layoffs.
   
10. Don't! Crank the Russian Folk Music - This is an important one. If you're going to have music at work, just put on headphones. And don't sing out loud. You may need some noise to help you out, but your co-workers certainly don't. And the people they're speaking with on the phone don't want it either. I also think if you're going to put on headphones, it shouldn't be for the whole day. No one wants a worker that ignores everyone for their Russian Folk Music (going back to #1).

Some good advice from CNNMoney. Any faux pas you want to add?

What I’m Hearing…Generational Spending Patterns

Ever since I was a small child, I’ve always believed in saving things that might be valuable to me in the future. Plastic bags, office supplies, nostalgic items, and my most favorite thing to save – money. When I was about 6 or 7, I received a toy safe for Christmas, which I loved. I put all my dollar and five dollar bills in there, along with some business plans for the ideal restaurant I wanted to open when I grew up. I still have those plans. Perhaps that will be my second career after I retire.

So when I recently heard on the radio that one-quarter of Generation X workers live paycheck to paycheck, I was floored. The notion of living that close to the edge is something very foreign to me. I’m wondering if this is an HR issue, a cultural issue, or a combination of factors.

Looking at this issue through an HR lens, we can take several steps to prevent or mitigate this spending trend. We need to pay our employees equitably and fairly, as per our organization’s compensation philosophy. Annual market updates ensure external market competitiveness. We should also provide options for employee education on personal fiscal management.

More and more I’m seeing individuals who want to buy everything…right now. That type of spending approach will certainly lead to a lack of savings. I understand that the younger members of our workforce are juggling a variety of expenses, including cars, cell phones, rent, and student loans. While we as HR practitioners cannot directly change these social / cultural issues immediately, we can provide the tools to help our employees move away from the dangers of living paycheck to paycheck into something more secure.

Pond Hopping for HR News

Going over to England for two articles today from PersonnelToday, the first that says that many workers think human resources make no difference in their lives: click here

Also from PersonnelToday, advice on putting the best Human Resources ideas into practice: click here

Lastly, from the Washington Post, an article that says something that Astron Solutions has been telling you for a long time now: money may not be the most important thing to all your employees: click here