subject: Enforcing Good Behavior To Establish A Positive Working Environment [print this page] People converged in a work place come from different families with different exposures, upbringing, and values to match. Fusing their abilities to meet a common corporate goal requires promoting a harmonious relationship if they are to become as effective as possible in their respective positionsand this is where the HR Help and Human Resources support step into the picture.
Why Harmonious Relationship Matters
After the job of selecting the best applicants for any required position in the company is done, the next set of responsibilities for the HR personnel would include fostering good working relationships. By this promoting and enforcing the need for mutual respect is called for. However, as most HR services personnel may very well be aware of by now, disrespect, done intentionally or not, is common in the work place. The inability to tolerate them often leads people to either lose or resign from their jobs. Either way, it causes the company serious losses in terms of good manpower and expected turnovers. Thus, the inevitable result would mean hiring new people and training them again. Needless to mention losses would translate to the eventual additional expenses this could incur, particularly because the newly trained people are not expected to yield the same output in the first few months just yet.
Enforcing a harmonious working relationship between co-workers means acclimatizing them well with working with new people. Cooperation requires not only pooling their skills and abilities together, but also exercising resourcefulness and consideration by picking up the slack to compensate for the absence of a co-worker until a new replacement comes.
Behavioral Guidelines to Follow
Unfortunately, employees who are disrespectful of others are hardly aware of how their actions affect colleagues, let alone know that they are already doing it. Often times the insensitivity is unintentional. What they thought was best or inoffensive may be perceived differently by their co-workers. Blame it on personal nature and differences. At times, making a black and white rule is needed if only to avoid petty conflicts that may balloon to bigger issues later on.
As a general guideline, the following actions, categorized accordingly, draw the definite line that clearly differentiates acceptable and offensive behavior in the work place.
Conversation and Meeting Etiquette
No loud phone conversations.
No loud conversations in general. Limit conversations to work matters during working hours whenever possible.
Never show up late for a meeting. Inform colleagues beforehand if delays are unavoidable.
Common Areas Etiquette.
Do not leave the staff kitchen messy after using it.
Do not use co-workers personal food stuff stored in the pantry without asking for permission first.
Never take supplies or materials from co-worker's desks without permission.
General Work Etiquette
Avoid looking at co-worker's computer screens over his or her shoulder.
Be courteous and gracious at all times, saying please and thank you whenever called for.
Never open somebody else's email or mails.
Never show a condescending attitude towards others.
Never talk behind someone's back.
Avoid asking subordinates or colleagues to run errands, especially if not connected with shared responsibility in the office.
Never send unwanted email.
Avoid making rude jokessexual, racial, etc.
Never take credit for other's work.
Avoid pointing a finger at anyone, especially if it is your fault.
