ALT-1 How not to be an Office Jerk
How can you avoid being a jerk in the office? There are many things that you can do to avoid being that guy in the office who everyone can't stand and who anyone would wish to avoid. Not only will you feel isolated at work, but it can bring down your morale, and it can make the entire office uncomfortable if they have to approach you for just about anything at all. Here are some good tips to avoid being that guy at the office.
The first thing you need to do is to have a personable approach to doing your job. This is going to help you out because people are going to enjoy being around you if you are friendly and outgoing. It will allow people to be at ease with you and will allow you to have more friends at work while being able to do your job more effectively.
The next thing you need to be sure of is your hygiene. It doesn't matter how nice you are if you happen to smell bad or you happen to sweat a lot. This will certainly turn people off to you because they aren't going to want to be around someone who is so offensive with the way that they take care of themselves. Always make sure you shower and put on deodorant before you come to work. Your co-workers will certainly appreciate it.
Remember that you might have a personal cubicle, but it doesn't mean that you are in your own little world. There are other people around you who can hear your phone calls and music selection. If you have headphones you should use them, and you should keep an indoor voice at all times when talking on the phone. If you have to talk to someone, try texting them as opposed to talking. It isn't always professional, but it will keep your noise level down.
Don't get in the way of others trying to do their job. Try not to talk about your date the night before, or how much work you have to be doing at the moment. The best thing to do is to do your job and not bother others. A little chatting is OK, but make sure you are doing your job and letting others do their job as well.
Making sure that you are accountable for yourself is a good way to make sure you won't be that guy in the office. Remember that you are in a professional environment where people are trying to do a job to earn a living. This isn't the place to be socializing or trying to make friends all day. If you can keep that in mind, you should be OK when working in the office.
