Vertrue Offers Tips on Open-Office Etiquette
Vertrue Incorporated, a leading online marketer, has received awards for its open-office environment.
Norwalk, CT (PRWEB) April 7, 2008
An open-office (http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=VgHo2vnE06Q) environment can enhance employee communication, notes Vertrue Incorporated (http://www. vertrue. com/corpro_career_ops. asp), a leading consumer services marketing company, but it also changes the dynamics of the office, requiring a shift in employee behavior.
Tearing down the walls had a certain appeal long before Ronald Reagan made his famous suggestion to Mikhail Gorbachev. These days, with office space at a premium, an open work environment can make room for more employees per square foot while reducing the pseudo-caste system created by closed-door offices and cubicles.
When Vertrue (http://vertrueco. com/vertrue-culture. htm) moved to its new headquarters in Norwalk, CT, in 2006, CEO Gary Johnson (http://www. vertruecorp. com/shareholders. html) decided to eliminate those offices and cubicles in favor of greater employee interaction. Because employees can see -- and hear -- their co-workers more easily in an open office, the company developed and distributed a list of open-office etiquette tips for Vertrue employees to follow.
Here are a few of Vertrue's high-level pointers on open-office etiquette:
Respect other people's space
-- If someone looks busy, she probably is; don't interrupt her until she takes a break.
-- Keep the volume down. No one wants to hear two people arguing over a project or laughing loudly about last night's adventures.
-- Eat only in the cafeteria or another designated area. Food aromas -- good or bad -- can be as distracting as loud conversations.
-- Phone conversations should be treated as personal communications, by both the person on the phone and anyone nearby.
Protect the office equipment
-- Keep all food and drinks away from all computers.
-- Log off the computer when leaving one's workspace for an extended period.
-- Bring laptops home at the end of the day, or lock them in a safe area.
-- Make sure all visitors carry the proper identification. If they don't, contact security.
Learn to share
-- Printers and copiers are community equipment. Let others finish up the work they've started before commandeering the equipment.
-- Reserve conference rooms and quiet rooms. "First come, first served" is no way to dole out space for meetings.
-- Leave meeting rooms as they were. Rearranging a room as needed is permitted, but return the space to its normal arrangement when the meeting is concluded.
Many of these tips are based on common sense and the Golden Rule: Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself. After all, common courtesy can go a long way in an open-office environment, reports Vertrue Incorporated (http://www. prweb. com/releases/Vertrue_Incorporated/Vertrue/prweb751004.htm).
About Vertrue:
Headquartered in Norwalk, Conn., Vertrue Incorporated is a leading Internet marketing services company and premier marketing partner to corporate clients. Vertrue, through its various subsidiaries, gives consumers access to services that offer substantial discounts and convenience for important decisions in their everyday lives. The services offered by the Vertrue family of companies span healthcare, personal property, security/insurance, discounts and personals and are offered online through an array of marketing channels. Partners can enhance market presence, strengthen customer affinity and generate additional value through programs offered by subsidiaries of Vertrue.
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