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Office Etiquette Dos and Don'ts

Office Etiquette Dos and Don'ts

Although corporate culture is becoming increasingly informal, don't let the laid-back office environment get the best of you.
Author:
Lilah Albaba
Publish date:
Mar 27, 2010 7:00 AM EDT
Although corporate culture is becoming increasingly informal, don't let the laid-back office environment get the best of you. Your casual workplace may lack some formalities, but there are still boundaries that should never be crossed — yes, we are talking to you Mr. I-Did-Drunk-Karaoke-at-the-Office-Party. To protect yourself from any unnecessary embarrassment, here are eight things our friends at Stylecaster think you should keep under wraps at the office. Photo Credit: Getty Images
Although corporate culture is becoming increasingly informal, don't let the laid-back office environment get the best of you. Your casual workplace may lack some formalities, but there are still boundaries that should never be crossed — yes, we are talking to you Mr. I-Did-Drunk-Karaoke-at-the-Office-Party. To protect yourself from any unnecessary embarrassment, here are eight things our friends at Stylecaster think you should keep under wraps at the office. Photo Credit: Getty Images
If you're commenting on your colleague's rack or divulging your obsession with the new assistant, you might as well just purchase a one-way ticket to court for a sexual harassment lawsuit. We think it's best to keep your love life separate from your work life. Things don't always play out like Jim and Pam's romance on The Office — so keep your plans of walking down the aisle (while dancing to Chris Brown of course) to yourself. Photo Credit: Getty Images
This is the part where you pretend like nothing at all interesting happened to you last weekend. Strip club outing with the boys... didn't happen. One-night stand with what's-his-face... didn't happen. Neither did your reckless night resulting in a DWI, got it? What happens to you outside the office should remain there. End of story. Photo Credit: Getty Images
Keep your opinions on religion and your political affiliations to yourself. These are touchy subjects that should not be discussed with your colleagues. Think Switzerland and remain neutral if these topics get brought up; no good will come from you spouting your opinions on Obama's latest health care decision to your boss. Photo Credit: Getty Images
If you have the boss from hell, it's OK — you're not alone. Many good, undeserving people are subjected to the wrath of Miranda Priestly clones daily. But, before you start drawing horns and a pitchfork onto your boss's photo, put down the permanent marker and think. There is no need to jeopardize your position by announcing your passionate disdain for your superior. You may consider switching careers, but hold back on company sabotage — it is never a good idea to burn your bridges. Photo Credit: Getty Images
Have your eye on the corner office? Scheming to climb the corporate ladder all the way to the top? No matter what your career goals are, it is best to keep them quiet to your colleagues. Otherwise you run the risk of looking overly ambitious and trust us, the All About Eve type is not always welcome in the office. Photo Credit: Getty Images
It's not only your words that can hurt your office reputation — body language can also be to blame. Click here to read about some of the worst body language faux pas you can make at work. Photo Credit: Alex France
While you should watch your language regardless of your setting, you must pay particular attention to what you say at work. The office is not the place for vulgar language or crude jokes — personal phone calls and e-mails to friends are not exempt from this rule, either. These days, anything can be seen as offensive, so when in doubt, keep your mouth shut. Photo Credit: Getty Images
If you find yourself beginning a sentence with "Hey, you didn't hear it from me, but..." — stop right there. You might not have heard, but high school ended years ago, so quit gossiping and get back to work. Talking about your coworkers behind their backs is immature and will only reflect poorly on you in the end. Photo Credit: Getty Images
Right alongside religion, your income is one of those topics to avoid. Money tends to be an uncomfortable subject to discuss in general, but exchanging annual salaries with your coworkers is an especially poor idea. Either you will find out that you are underpaid, or your colleague will resent you for your higher salary. After all, ignorance is bliss. Photo Credit: Getty Images
If you're switching careers or simply braving the job market right now, you can hurt your chances before you even set a foot into the office. Here are the worst résumé mistakes an applicant can make and how you can avoid them. Photo Credit: kafka4prez
Join the MainStreet team and other readers on our lively Facebook page! Discuss our newest stories and get links to breaking content, automatically. Click here to add us. Photo Credit: Facebook.com

Keep Your Mouth Shut!

Although corporate culture is becoming increasingly informal, don't let the laid-back office environment get the best of you. Your casual workplace may lack some formalities, but there are still boundaries that should never be crossed — yes, we are talking to you Mr. I-Did-Drunk-Karaoke-at-the-Office-Party. To protect yourself from any unnecessary embarrassment, here are eight things our friends at Stylecaster think you should keep under wraps at the office. Photo Credit: Getty Images

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