![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.gallerycollection.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/21113652\/break.jpg\")
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If you work in an office with a break room, you\u2019ve probably taken advantage of it at some point. As with any shared space, it\u2019s important that you and your colleagues don\u2019t forget some common courtesies, intentionally or not. Here\u2019s a quick list of things to remember about office break room etiquette.<\/p>\n
Clean up after yourself.<\/strong> It always surprises me when I sit down to eat at a dirty table in a shared space. Crumbs, napkins, straw wrappers \u2013 strewn on the surface, left by the previous occupant. I wonder if they do the same in their own homes, assuming someone else will pick up after them. Here\u2019s a word of advice: the office break room is not your home. Your co-workers should not spend part of their break cleaning up your mess. Be considerate and do it yourself!<\/p>\n This piece of office break room etiquette also applies to common areas such as the kitchen sink, the refrigerator, and the coffee station. If it\u2019s your mess, take care of it!<\/p>\n Keep your hands off!<\/strong> Speaking of the refrigerator\u2026 If someone has gone through the trouble of bringing food to work, packing it and labeling it carefully with their name, that usually means they plan on eating it. Unless something is labeled \u201chelp yourself,\u201d don\u2019t!<\/p>\n Speak softly.<\/strong> The more people that fill a room, the louder it gets. Remember lunchtime in the school cafeteria? Ever been to a concert or sporting event before the main attraction starts? It\u2019s great that co-workers can get together for a meal or a snack to catch up, but that doesn\u2019t mean the rest of the room cares to hear their conversations. If you are a loud talker, try to watch your levels \u2013 there\u2019s nothing less relaxing than hearing a conversation from across the room! Granted, the office break room isn\u2019t the library \u2013 but there is a happy medium.<\/p>\n Feet off the furniture.<\/strong> So you timed your break perfectly and you have a whole table to yourself. Great! Do you know what\u2019s not great? Your feet on the empty chair next to you. Someone has to sit there after you, and I can guarantee you they don\u2019t want to sit where your feet have been. Break room chairs are not footrests. Again \u2013 be considerate!<\/p>\n Do not disturb.<\/strong> For many people, breaks and lunch times are the rare moment in a day to unwind and decompress. Don\u2019t interrupt your co-worker\u2019s lunch with a work question \u2013 that\u2019s what email is for. And if someone has on a pair of headphones and their nose is in a book, take the hint: they can\u2019t hear you because they\u2019ve focused elsewhere, so catch them some other time.<\/p>\n People are different. We work differently, so of course, we play differently, too. The bottom line is, try to be considerate of your co-workers and follow common courtesies in shared spaces. In the long run, it will make for a happier work environment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you work in an office with a break room, you\u2019ve probably taken advantage of it at…","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":8538,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_page_load_nextpost":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1296,1316,510],"tags":[959,961,962],"class_list":{"0":"post-8537","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tips-and-trends","8":"category-office-wellness-tips-and-trends","9":"category-the-workplace","10":"tag-workplace-advice","11":"tag-workplace-etiquette","12":"tag-lunch","13":"cs-entry"},"yoast_head":"\n