Work Area
Open Office Etiquette
Success in our office environment depends on awareness and consideration of your neighbors in the space. Please be conscientious of how your actions impact your colleagues. Likewise, please first address issues person-to-person first, before getting anyone else involved. Kindly help a person who is driving you crazy understand how their behavior is impacting your ability to work. It is better to calmly talk to your colleagues than to let anger and resentment build up. If we build the expectation that this is an acceptable and productive conversation, then we can work happily together.
Visual Appeal
The openness of our space provides a fresh, appealing visual for our people and our visitors. If you are not in a shared office space, you may make your space your own with décor keeping in mind safety, limiting distraction, and maintaining the overall professional atmosphere of our university facilities. Here is how we can all control clutter and help keep it that way.
Utilize storage provided. Coats should be hung on hooks. Personal items should be stored in desk cabinets.
E-file. Minimize paper piles and files by limiting copying and printing in favor of digital archives
Keep horizons clear. Maintain open vistas and access to daylight. Do not place plants or other items on top of overheads or higher than panels or up-mounted screens.
Keep surfaces clean. Allow windowsills and vertical surfaces to remain clear. Do not block windows. Refrain from attaching paper or pictures to the glass dividers above the cubicle and office walls. The main goal is to keep a clear line of sight above cubicle spaces so that we can all share the sunlight from the windows without distraction.
Tidy as you go. When you are leaving your workspace, especially for a long time, push in your chair, turn off task lights, organize piles and make sure the space is visually clean.
Noise
Here are some pointers to maintain concentration in a collaboratively focused setting.
Modulate your voice. No need to whisper, just be considerate of your neighbors when speaking near individual workspaces.
Use phone discretion. Speakerphone use, lengthy conversations, and interactive webinars should only happen in enclosed spaces. If you are using a cellphone, removing one earbud can help you keep your voice at an appropriate level.
Be conscious of nonverbal noise. Keep cell phone and other devices on vibrate or a low ringtone.
Take advantage of huddling and gathering spaces. Move noisy or personal conversations away from individual work settings. Lounge and break room spaces are designed for impromptu, small group meetings.
Reserve enclosed spaces when needed. Conference spaces are available for larger or longer meetings.
Phone rooms may be available for extended conference calls, and private one-on-one conversations.
Interruptions
Successful coexistence in an open office setting relies on clear communication and mutual respect.
Signify privacy preference. When appropriate, close your door if you have one, use headphones, or other methods to manage distractions and to indicate that you are engaged in focused work.
If you need guaranteed uninterrupted work time, it may be wise to use an empty conference room or take yourself off-site with the approval of your supervisor. It is easy to forward your desk phone to your cell phone or computer through Teams, so you do not miss customer calls.
Read and respect privacy cues and personal boundaries. If your neighbor is wearing headphones, or otherwise signaling they are doing focused work, hold your thoughts for another time or send them a message. Microsoft Teams is a quick and easy way to get their attention and send them a message that can be answered without interruption.
Confidentiality and Security
In an open office environment, confidential matters should be discussed in a setting that supports the privacy of that conversation. Use discretion and judgment and be particularly conscientious when working on confidential projects.
Utilize enclosed activity spaces. Small conference rooms are located throughout the space for sensitive or confidential face-to-face or telephone conversations or work.
Modify your surroundings. In your individual workspace, leverage your monitor arm to provide forward-looking seated privacy.
Leave no trace. Clear cache and log out completely of any shared technology device. Shred confidential documents when disposing of them.
Lock up your purse, wallet, or other valuables. Do not leave your cell phone on your desk when you walk away. Be smart about your personal and valuable belongings. Never take anything from someone else’s desk.
Shared Spaces
Enjoy the plethora of shared spaces, common and meeting areas, but please consider the next occupant.
Honor your reservation time. Make a reservation for spaces that require it. Update or cancel your appointment if meetings shift or end earlier than expected.
Return to order. Ensure you leave all the spaces as you found them. Allow sufficient time before vacating to clean the room so it is ready for action by the next party.
Reset and turn off A/V equipment. Wipe off whiteboards.
Clear tables. Remove dirty dishes and utensils. Take food waste with you.
Return furniture to its original layout. Push chairs back into place.
Return any borrowed equipment or supplies sourced elsewhere.
Please do not swap out or re-locate chairs, non-mobile technology, artwork, or plants.
Odors (Food in Workspaces and at Office Desks)
Please do not put food debris in garbage receptacles located in your cubicle or office space. Waste can be placed in garbage receptacles in break rooms, open areas, or hallways.
In an open environment, odors are experienced by all members within a closed space.
Consider eating snacks and lunch in the break room or student lounge. Refrain from eating strong-smelling foods at your desk. Consume popcorn and other pungent snacks in the breakroom or lounge.
Keep food concealed. Store food in sealed containers in the break room or in a lunch bag/box.
Steer clear of scents. Avoid using strong-smelling perfumes, lotions, and room fresheners in the open workspace.
Take all food and waste from meetings or other group events with you.
You may be expected to empty your garbage and vacuum your workspace occasionally to maintain a clean and neat appearance.
Please keep your desk clean and clear of any clutter, crumbs, food, and spills. Especially if you share a desk or are using a temporary desk, clean up after yourself before you leave for the day.
Shared UCL Kitchen and Break Room at the Marriott Library 5th floor
Also fits under Sharing Spaces, Odors, Cleanliness, Wellness, and Sustainability.
Treat the refrigerator space as if it was a parking lot. Do not bring your giant RV of a lunch bag to work. Please only bring food for the day and only refrigerate what needs to be kept cold. Space is limited, so you cannot leave bottles of salad dressing and creamer for longer than the week.
Clean up after yourself. You spill it, you clean it. Do not leave dishes in the sink. Clean them immediately.
Take any leftover food home with you every day. Please do not do science experiments in our shared space.
At 540 Arapeen, we will all share in the responsibility of the Thursday afternoon refrigerator throwaway. You can look forward to getting a schedule of responsibility.
Do not eat anyone else’s food unless it has a note on it signifying it is fair game.
If you are leaving food for everyone to enjoy, please label it as fair game. On the flip side, if there is food on the counter, but there is not any note, do not assume it is for you to partake. Also, wait until the end of the day to package up any communal leftovers to take home.
Common Areas (Washrooms, Conference Rooms, and Classrooms)
It is everyone’s responsibility to pick up and clean up. Here are a few guidelines:
Keep work areas and storage facilities clean, neat, and orderly.
Keep all aisles, stairways, traffic areas, and exits free from obstructions at all times,
Clean up any spills immediately.
If items are missing, misused, or if an area has been defaced, please report these actions to your manager immediately.
All common areas are to be treated with respect. Please ensure you tidy up any garbage, wash dishes, etc. to ensure you leave the space better than you find it.
Employees are responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of common office areas and are expected to clean items they use. Please put all food debris in larger trash receptacles located in break rooms, open areas, hallways, or exterior trash receptacles—not in common areas. Leave all items in the condition in which they were found. Should anything need repair or replacement, please notify your Operations Team.
At the end of the workday, employees are expected to straighten their desks and put away any office-related paperwork. Papers should be filed in the appropriate cabinet or filing drawer. Sensitive material should be placed in a locked file.
Sustainability
Small efforts by all help us meet our mission of living green and reducing our carbon footprint.
Recycle. Use designated receptacles to dispose of paper, cans, and bottles.
Minimize. Bring only what you will use in a day to store in refrigerators.
Conserve power. Turn off lights when areas are not in use. Turn off all equipment (including your computer and monitors) at the end of the day.
Dispose of trash. Keep our grounds and parking lots litter-free. Use designated receptacles.
Think digital. Avoid printing, copying, and accumulating paper when digital filing and sharing will suffice.
Animals
Pets, other than service animals, are not allowed in our buildings.