Guidelines for being a good corporate citizen

Guidelines for being a good corporate citizen

These are general guidelines for being a good corporate citizen. Taken from a news group thread in my office.

Note: I work in a software firm in India. But most of these guidelines are general purpose and universally applicable.

1. If someone is parking his/ her vehicle do not come in intimidating distances till the other person is done. If you have a driver who is waiting in the car, make sure that your car is not obstructing path of others.
   
   
2. If you are taking the elevator please see if someone is coming or trying to get the elevator, rather then pretending not to see and poking buttons on the Blackberry. Everyone's time is important.
   
   
3. In elevator if standing close to the buttons ask which floor. This will not make you a liftman / lift operator but demonstrate that you are a good person. If someone asks you the floor and pushes button for you please say thank you.
   
   
4. While waiting for the lift (elevator) please see to it that people in elevator come out first
   and you provide ample room to them.
5. If you are stepping into any confined zone, please let people in that zone move out before you move in. Basically wait for people to exit. Walking into a lift, corridor, lobby, aisle or conference room all fits.
   
   
6. Always stand in queue for anything (taking food in the cafeteria, etc.). Do not cut in line.
   
   
7. If you are parking your bike make sure you park it straight and such that it takes only 1 bike space (park it on the main stand).
   Don't park it haphazardly and take up 2 bike space and leave only that much space between bikes as is required for easily taking it out!
   
   
8. Talk softly on the phone. The phone mics are very powerful and you don't need to talk that loud for the other person to hear. Also consider other folks sitting in adjacent cubes.
1. Put your cell phones to "vibrating" modes as soon as you enter office. No one, repeat no one, is interested in hearing your "just downloaded fantastic mp3 tune". It is very, very disturbing - especially while you are concentrating on something.
2. Put your ringer volume at reasonable levels on your desk phone, especially when you are not at your desk.
   
   
9. Switch off phones or put them on silent during all-hands, meetings etc. It is not only irritating to others, it is an insult to the speaker.
   
   
10. Don't chat in groups in pantries - it causes lot of inconvenience to others who come for tea/coffee/snacks.
    
    
11. Don't send huge emails' (even work related) - it is a royal pain to download them at home on slow speeds. Not everyone has a broadband connection! Have a central place for documents, and send out a link in the email. It also keeps the network happy!
    
    
12. If you spill liquid on floor, make sure it is mopped up by the office support staff, before you leave. Or clean it yourself.
    
    
13. For smokers - throw the stubs in dustbins / ashtrays. The smoking zone floor is not the right place.
    
    
14. If you read newspaper kept in the common area, make sure to re-arrange it properly when you keep it back. No one likes to read a crumpled, unsorted newspaper - even you don't!
    
    
15. Treat the pantries' as you treat your kitchen - keep them clean, and tidy. It does not take much effort to close the lid of the biscuit box, and keep the used cup in the wash-basin! Don't keep the used cups' at any place in office - especially conference rooms.
    
    
16. Switch off lights in the conf. room once you are done. Also make sure to wipe off the white board, before you leave.
    
    
17. Respect every person in the office - including the office-support staff (which includes, but is not restricted to, office-boys, cleaners', drivers, security personnel).
    
    
18. While parking, honor the words of the security personnel - and don't try to be oversmart.
    
    
19. DO NOT *spit*. Anywhere.
    
    
20. Avoid pressing buttons to call multiple lifts simultaneously.
    
    
21. Please ensure that the discussions on any topic, however profound/ technical intensive are not done near the workplaces in loud volumes. You may be disturbing people. Best way is to put conference rooms to use for this purpose.
    
    
22. Stairs are there for a purpose other than having coffee on. And leaving the cups on the stairs, is not only unacceptable, its also dangerous for people who use the stairs. Same goes for the terrace, balconies, etc.