iHaveNet.com
Career - Workplace Space: Desk Do's and Don'ts
  • HOME
  • WORLD
    • Africa
    • Asia Pacific
    • Balkans
    • Caucasas
    • Central Asia
    • Eastern Europe
    • Europe
    • Indian Subcontinent
    • Latin America
    • Middle East
    • North Africa
    • Scandinavia
    • Southeast Asia
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
    • Argentina
    • Australia
    • Austria
    • Benelux
    • Brazil
    • Canada
    • China
    • France
    • Germany
    • Greece
    • Hungary
    • India
    • Indonesia
    • Ireland
    • Israel
    • Italy
    • Japan
    • Korea
    • Mexico
    • New Zealand
    • Pakistan
    • Philippines
    • Poland
    • Russia
    • South Africa
    • Spain
    • Taiwan
    • Turkey
    • United States
  • USA
    • ECONOMICS
    • EDUCATION
    • ENVIRONMENT
    • FOREIGN POLICY
    • POLITICS
    • OPINION
    • TRADE
    • Atlanta
    • Baltimore
    • Bay Area
    • Boston
    • Chicago
    • Cleveland
    • DC Area
    • Dallas
    • Denver
    • Detroit
    • Houston
    • Los Angeles
    • Miami
    • New York
    • Philadelphia
    • Phoenix
    • Pittsburgh
    • Portland
    • San Diego
    • Seattle
    • Silicon Valley
    • Saint Louis
    • Tampa
    • Twin Cities
  • BUSINESS
    • FEATURES
    • eBUSINESS
    • HUMAN RESOURCES
    • MANAGEMENT
    • MARKETING
    • ENTREPRENEUR
    • SMALL BUSINESS
    • STOCK MARKETS
    • Agriculture
    • Airline
    • Auto
    • Beverage
    • Biotech
    • Book
    • Broadcast
    • Cable
    • Chemical
    • Clothing
    • Construction
    • Defense
    • Durable
    • Engineering
    • Electronics
    • Firearms
    • Food
    • Gaming
    • Healthcare
    • Hospitality
    • Leisure
    • Logistics
    • Metals
    • Mining
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Newspaper
    • Nondurable
    • Oil & Gas
    • Packaging
    • Pharmaceutic
    • Plastics
    • Real Estate
    • Retail
    • Shipping
    • Sports
    • Steelmaking
    • Textiles
    • Tobacco
    • Transportation
    • Travel
    • Utilities
  • WEALTH
    • CAREERS
    • INVESTING
    • PERSONAL FINANCE
    • REAL ESTATE
    • MARKETS
    • BUSINESS
  • STOCKS
    • ECONOMY
    • EMERGING MARKETS
    • STOCKS
    • FED WATCH
    • TECH STOCKS
    • BIOTECHS
    • COMMODITIES
    • MUTUAL FUNDS / ETFs
    • MERGERS / ACQUISITIONS
    • IPOs
    • 3M (MMM)
    • AT&T (T)
    • AIG (AIG)
    • Alcoa (AA)
    • Altria (MO)
    • American Express (AXP)
    • Apple (AAPL)
    • Bank of America (BAC)
    • Boeing (BA)
    • Caterpillar (CAT)
    • Chevron (CVX)
    • Cisco (CSCO)
    • Citigroup (C)
    • Coca Cola (KO)
    • Dell (DELL)
    • DuPont (DD)
    • Eastman Kodak (EK)
    • ExxonMobil (XOM)
    • FedEx (FDX)
    • General Electric (GE)
    • General Motors (GM)
    • Google (GOOG)
    • Hewlett-Packard (HPQ)
    • Home Depot (HD)
    • Honeywell (HON)
    • IBM (IBM)
    • Intel (INTC)
    • Int'l Paper (IP)
    • JP Morgan Chase (JPM)
    • J & J (JNJ)
    • McDonalds (MCD)
    • Merck (MRK)
    • Microsoft (MSFT)
    • P & G (PG)
    • United Tech (UTX)
    • Wal-Mart (WMT)
    • Walt Disney (DIS)
  • TECH
    • ADVANCED
    • FEATURES
    • INTERNET
    • INTERNET FEATURES
    • CYBERCULTURE
    • eCOMMERCE
    • mp3
    • SECURITY
    • GAMES
    • HANDHELD
    • SOFTWARE
    • PERSONAL
    • WIRELESS
  • HEALTH
    • AGING
    • ALTERNATIVE
    • AILMENTS
    • DRUGS
    • FITNESS
    • GENETICS
    • CHILDREN'S
    • MEN'S
    • WOMEN'S
  • LIFESTYLE
    • AUTOS
    • HOBBIES
    • EDUCATION
    • FAMILY
    • FASHION
    • FOOD
    • HOME DECOR
    • RELATIONSHIPS
    • PARENTING
    • PETS
    • TRAVEL
    • WOMEN
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • BOOKS
    • TELEVISION
    • MUSIC
    • THE ARTS
    • MOVIES
    • CULTURE
  • SPORTS
    • BASEBALL
    • BASKETBALL
    • COLLEGES
    • FOOTBALL
    • GOLF
    • HOCKEY
    • OLYMPICS
    • SOCCER
    • TENNIS
  • Subscribe to RSS Feeds EMAIL ALERT Subscriptions from iHaveNet.com RSS
    • RSS | Politics
    • RSS | Recipes
    • RSS | NFL Football
    • RSS | Movie Reviews

Workplace Space: Desk Do's and Don'ts
Jeff Waddle

HOME > WEALTH

 

Workplace Space: Desk Do's and Don'ts
Workplace Space: Desk Do's and Don'ts

In today’s world of Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and YouTube, it’s obvious that we love to tell our story. Indeed, we celebrate the individual in each of us, but have you considered what story your desk, office or cube is telling?

With many companies making hard decisions about who stays or goes in this age of downsizing and layoffs, is your desk sending clues that could spell doom or promotion in your career?

Let’s take a look.

The Tidy vs. Messy Debate

The psychologists, sociologists and other analytically inclined people who study these things have varied schools of thought on exactly what a tidy vs. messy desk conveys. Here are the prevailing views.

Tidy:

Someone who is organized, efficient and professional.  But if the desk or office is too squeaky clean, it may convey that you have too much time on your hands (i.e., not enough to do), which could send a dangerous message in times of layoffs. In offices where creativity is important, a clutter-free space could suggest that you’re too rigid, inflexible and uncreative.

Messy:

A busy and creative person who values peak performance over completely clean. But if your office looks like a cyclone hit it and you’ve never spent a minute cleaning it up, you could be conveying that you’re totally disorganized, harried and on the verge of complete chaos -- not exactly a recipe for climbing the corporate ladder.

Bottom line, it doesn’t really matter what the so-called experts say, because it’s your specific company’s corporate culture that makes all the difference. Is creativity and performance valued above everything else? If so, then focus on the job, and don’t get too hung up on a pile of folders on the corner of your desk.

What does the boss’ office look like?

If it’s squeaky clean, then you may want to clean up your disaster zone (a.k.a. office). While you don’t have to be a complete conformist, fitting in, at least to some degree, is important in any job setting. Just like wearing flip-flops and shorts when everyone else is donning a suit and tie, it’s probably not a good idea for your desk or office to stick out like a proverbial sore thumb.

In most corporate settings, a happy medium is probably the best approach. As with inviting a girl back to your place, you don’t want it to look like a mausoleum. Rather, you want it to look inviting and “lived in” (or worked in) but not so messy that it will make a visitor uncomfortable. 

Personalizing Your Space

Since you spend so much time at work, there’s nothing wrong with personalizing your work space. In fact, studies suggest that putting personal touches on a work space boosts morale, so bring family photos, a plant or two and maybe some favorite sports memorabilia into the office. These things suggest that you enjoy a well-balanced life and are in for the long haul at work. Just do it tastefully.

Again, it’s the corporate culture that will determine what’s appropriate. Work in a conservative office? Then you may want to think twice about tacking your Black Sabbath poster to your bulletin board. Remember that everything on your desk or in your office says something about you, and your colleagues and bosses are taking note. Now: Go wash out the coffee cup sitting on your desk that’s starting to look like a science experiment.

Jeff Waddle is a Cincinnati-based freelance writer and contributor to ManoftheHouse.com

Available at Amazon.com:

Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements

Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success

What's Next? Follow Your Passion and Find Your Dream Job

Interpersonal Edge: Breakthrough Tools for Talking to Anyone, Anywhere, about Anything

Recent Job Search and Career Articles

  • What Today's Job Seekers Want
  • 6 Secrets to Staying Employed After Age 50
  • Bad Online Habits Can Hurt Your Career
  • Workplace Space: Desk Do's and Don'ts
  • Are Credit Checks Keeping You Out of Work?
  • Job Interviews That Really Aren't
  • How to Make a Career in Public Service
  • How to Choose the Best Volunteering Option
  • Boost Your Energy with Time-Shifting
  • The Secret to Doing Your Best Work Effortlessly
  • Introvert's Guide to Self-Disclosure
  • Can-Do Entrepreneurs Move Beyond Can't-Do Government
  • Can't Find Work? Get a 'Survival Job'
  • 4 Steps To Becoming a Multitasking Master
  • How to Answer 'What Do You Do?'
  • Education and Wealth: Strongest Predictors of a Long Life
  • The Vanishing Lunch Break
  • Best Places to Launch a Second Career
  • Expect Significant Changes During Open Enrollment for 2011 Health Coverage
  • Solution-Focused Questions: The Secret to Success
  • Law School: Rising Demand, Rising Tuition, Diminishing Job Market
  • Beware the Interviewer in a Soft Chair
  • 7 Sites That Will Help You Get Hired
  • Out-of-the-Box Ways to Get That Job
  • Get Even by Doing Well
  • Starting a Business: Focus on Profits Not Popularity
  • A Revolutionary New Way to Learn
  • Out-of-the-Box Ways to Get That Job
  • Strategies for Surviving the 'New Normal' Job Market
  • Wal-Mart Offering Workers Chances to Earn Cheap College Credit
  • Why Office Dating May Be More Dangerous in This Economy
  • 7 Times You Shouldn't Take a Vacation
  • Invest in Me, Inc.
  • When Success Doesn't Come Fast Enough
  • The Right Job at the Right Time
  • Why Physician Assistant School May be Right for You
  • Some Good News for Job Seekers
  • How Morning Exercise Can Boost Your Career
  • Is Job Loyalty for Better or Worse?
  • Return to Work Way Ahead of the Game
  • Does Gray Hair Ruin Career?
  • 7 Tips to Master Every Meeting
  • Get Career Goals in Gear This Summer
  • How Your Career and Boss Can Ruin Your Health
  • Law Jobs Will Be Harder to Come By
  • More M.B.A. Graduates Will Get Jobs in 2010
  • How Online Students Balance Family, Work, and School
  • Jobs Bill a Tough Call for Democrats
  • How to Get a Job After a Year (or More) Out of Work
  • Alternatives to Traditional Retirement
  • Job Market Strategies for Recent Graduates
  • Lessons For Success From Apple's Steve Jobs
  • We've Come a Long Way in Wrong Direction
  • How You'll Find Your Next Job
  • 6 Ways to Keep Family From Derailing Your Career
  • 10 Ways to Make Any Job Healthier
  • What the Resumes of Top CEOs Have in Common
  • Seven Tips for Secret Job Search
  • Video Game Design Careers
  • Five Tips to Avoid Confirmation Bias
  • Successful Career Switchers
  • The Secret to Success for Artists and Creatives
  • Why Some Women Skirt the Wage Gap
  • Fear of Failure? Three Tips to Guarantee Success
  • Behind the 'Mompreneur' Myth
  • Creative Ways to Combine Work & Family
  • Make More Money & Live Your Passion: Become a Cre8tor
  • Banking Laws Leave Business Customers Vulnerable to Internet Fraud
  • Deducting Hobby Expenses: Think Business
  • When to Make a Personal Course Correction
  • Kick-Starting a Business of Your Own

 

Careers - Workplace Space: Desk Do's and Don'ts

Copyright © 2010 Studio One Networks. All rights reserved.

Brought to you by Gillette

This independent editorial program is bought to you by Gillette

Search Powered By Google

Google Search   

Job & Career Search

career & job search                    job title, keywords, company, location

ADVERTISEMENT

Advertisement

Advertisement

ADVERTISEMENT

Advertisement

Management Jobs

Industry Jobs

  • HOME
  • WORLD
  • USA
  • BUSINESS
  • WEALTH
  • STOCKS
  • TECH
  • HEALTH
  • LIFESTYLE
  • ENTERTAINMENT
  • SPORTS

 

Workplace Space: Desk Do's and Don'ts

  • Services:
  • RSS Feeds
  • Shopping
  • Email Alerts
  • Site Map
  • Privacy