Monday 14 May 2012

Proper Etiquettes at the Office Water Coolers Area

The filtered water cooler at the workplace is the most common place for employees to blow off some steam and get away from workplace tension, but nowadays it has become a breakout area. The Filtered Water Cooler provides employees with cool, refreshing and clean water to quench their thirst. At times, employees also have the option to go for hot water for their tea or coffee. One common mistake committed at the office water coolers is that people forget their manners and let their guard down. A few etiquettes should be kept in mind, while you are at the office water cooler area.

The number one activity that people do at the water coolers, other than Drinking Water Fountains, is gossip. Some people don’t even go there for water but instead to share the hottest news on the floor. One must be aware of the language being used as well as the content of the conversation, as people from other departments or even outside visitors can hear you and get a wrong impression about you, about the person you are talking about or about your department. If your luck is bad and this conversation happens to reach your boss’s ears, then consider that you will be hitting many speed breakers in your career at this organization. Our advice is to keep these conversations for after office hours and outside the office. Remember what you cannot say in front of the boss, you shouldn’t say at the water cooler area.


We always like to work in a neat and clean workspace and that is why we spend some time in keeping our work station clean and organized. When we get visitors at our work station and they start moving things around, we get agitated. But when it comes to the office water cooler, we seldom show the same attitude. If by mistake we spill some water or accidently some water leakage occurs, how often do we clean it up or even get someone to have it cleaned up? At times, while making tea or coffee some water splashes on the coolers. Do we take the efforts to clean it up or do we usually just leave it as it is? One of the worst things that we do is take our germ infected water bottle top and have it touch the nozzle while filling the water. This is very unhygienic and we should refrain from doing such activity.

These are just a few things to keep in mind while at the office water coolers, so as to keep a professional attitude and avoid any fingers being pointed at us.