Guide on Office Space Decorum

There is an unwritten rule about office space decorum. This simply refers to keeping distance from the people around you. I am talking about physical distance you have to allow between you and the next person beside you, in front of you or behind you so as not to cause discomfort towards the other person. Don’t make the other person feel uncomfortable. Give respect to each other’s private spaces. This falls under social graces and etiquette, which includes professionalism in the workplace.

Most people are not aware of this rule so I hope the following simple illustrations could serve as a guide:

A. The pink shaded area is for visitors, bosses, workmates.

B. No one should stand / sit within the green area because that’s the personal space of the person occupying the desk.

C. Visitors / other people including kasambaho (work mates, office mates, bosses, kasama sa trabaho) may only occupy any spot in the pink area. They should not stand right beside the chair of the person occupying this desk.

When discussing with reference to documents, stand in front of the person’s desk or sit on the chair provided for visitors. NEVER lean your elbow or your body on the person’s desk in an effort to move closer. Discussions can be comfortably done without your body getting in the way. If one has to point at a document, use a ballpen and extend your arm to reach the document. A one meter distance is a good guide so as not to invade the other person’s space.

When discussing, do not move too close to the other person by bending and moving your face close to his / her face. This happens because people think most people are bingi and bulag. Again, observe the one meter rule. Don’t stick your face out. The person can see and hear you even from a meter distance.

A common mistake is to stand too close beside a person while looking over his head, shoulder, desk. Only teachers do this. Teachers / professors like to snoop around their students’ work. They stand beside or behind their students to check their notes. This practice also makes them feel superior over the students. This is not done in work places even if you are the supervisor or manager. This is intruding in ones private space.