Printer Friendly Version

This policy applies to all shared spaces at the center, including but not limited to hallways, shared office space, and open office spaces.

  • Use a reasonable voice level - Don’t raise your voice during in-person conversations or on the telephone.
  • Don’t hold meetings in your workspace - If you’ve got time to schedule the meeting, plan to hold it in an appropriate setting.
  • If an impromptu conversation is going to take time, find an isolated location -  Have you gotten onto a fascinating topic or into a heated debate? Move it out of your workspace and into a more appropriate location.
  • Don’t talk or yell past your immediate neighbor - If you have to raise your voice to talk to someone two to three workspaces away, anyone else within earshot won’t appreciate it. Go over to the person’s desk, phone or communicate electronically. 
  • Don’t use speaker phones - Not only will you raise your voice level, but those around you will hear the other side of the conversation as well. If you need to use your hands while on the phone, use a hands-free headset.
  • Manage ringers and notifications - This applies to your phone and computer. Turn down volumes and limit the number of rings or put your mobile on vibrate. 
  • Look before you interrupt - If someone is visibly occupied and your question can wait, return later or send a message that they can reply to at a better time.
  • Don’t create unnecessary noise - Pencil tapping and humming won’t win over those around you, so try to break those habits. Also request that squeaky drawers and other items in your area be fixed.
  • Be aware of smells – Smells in tight spaces can be magnified, so please use consideration when packing lunches or snacks.  Try to eat meals in the break rooms, rather than your desk. Also pay attention to personal grooming; forgo wearing strong perfumes, colognes, lotions, etc.
  • Respect others’ concerns - If someone approaches you with a complaint, odds are that it’s genuinely bothering them. Take a moment to discuss how to politely resolve the issue. Be direct, but kind, because the person might not have realized they were causing a distraction.
  • Respect others’ privacy - Sometimes you’re going to hear information not intended for your ears. Act as if you didn’t hear it and don’t add to the noise level by repeating it. 
  • Clean up after yourself - If you make a mess, please clean it up.  Always leave a space as you found it or better!
  • Help keep the workspaces running – The center has communal spaces; kitchens, printer and supply rooms, etc.  If you see an opportunity to improve the space by cleaning up something left behind by someone else, please take it.  If you take the last of any supplies, please put in a request for more.