The Responsibilities of Office Workers

My last post was on the rights of office workers, but along with rights go responsibilities to the people we work for as well as to each other. Thus, I’ve put together a second list of the responsibilities of office workers. As with rights, I welcome other people’s ideas about what should be changed.

As office workers, we have a responsibility . . . 

1. To perform the tasks for which we were hired to the best of our ability.
2. To work the agreed upon hours whenever possible, clear all schedule adjustments with our supervisors, and refrain from abusing flex-time.
3. To take care of our own physical and mental health.
4. To keep personal activities from intruding excessively on work activities.
5. To keep our workspace, files, and hard disk organized and presentable.
6. To manage time so as to work as efficiently as possible.  
7. To develop our job-related skills to their full potential.
8. To interact respectfully with others in the workplace and communicate clearly.
9. To come to work appropriately dressed and groomed.
10. To keep others waiting no longer than necessary.
11. To interrupt coworkers and supervisors no more than necessary to do our jobs.
12. To share information on policies and procedures with others in our workplaces.
13. To ask for help when we need it to do our jobs.
14. To maintain confidentiality when required or ethically correct.
15. To help new employees adjust to their work situation.
16. To supervise others justly and kindly.
17. To handle financial tasks honestly, frugally, and fastidiously.
18. To admit our own mistakes honestly and do what we can to correct them.
19. To try to resolve conflicts with the person involved before taking them to a higher level.
20. To refrain from discriminating against others because of age, race, religion, gender, sexual identity, or other defining characteristics.
21. To honor any commitments we made when hired to remain at our job for a particular length of time and to give our employers adequate notice when resigning. 

Having written these responsibilities out, I have to be honest: There have been times when I’ve been less than perfect in living up to them, though I suspect I’m not the only one. Most of us need reminders sometimes, which is what bosses are for. But whether you have a boss who’s continually on your case or one who lets you get away with murder, if you want to feel good at work, it helps to have a clear set of rules for yourself and at least try stick to them. A guilty conscience can be a major contributor to office blues, but knowing you're living up to your own standards, assuming they're reasonable and not overly harsh,  is one of the best antidepressants there is.

Coming next: The challenge of confinement: what to do if you’re climbing the walls at work.