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Desktop Dining Etiquette
Hungry for career advancement? If you're like most business achievers, you're long on work hours, short on lunchtime.
Any desk jockey who's worked through lunch (and dinner) knows the desktop isn't just a place for your computer, phone and family photos. It's also a makeshift table. Nothing brings comfort during a hard day at the office like a slice of pizza and a bag of Doritos. Add some Red Bull and M&M's to the mix, and you're fueled up for success. Right? Not so fast, Dorito Breath. Work Shouldn't Stink We've all been caught with crumbs in our keyboards. But is eating at our desks appropriate? Hold onto your stomachs. In Business Etiquette: 101 Ways to Conduct Business with Charm and Savvy, Ann Marie Sabath sticks a fork in desktop dining. From her "Twelve Commandments of Cubicle Etiquette": "Thou shalt keep snacking to a minimum. (Your cubicle should not look or smell like a mini-cafeteria.)" Jodi R. R. Smith, president of Mannersmith Etiquette Consulting, concurs. "Smell is No. 1," she says. "If you go to the Korean place down the street and bring back a stinky pot of tofu or if you microwave popcorn, it stinks up the whole office. Most office buildings don't have windows that open, so you're sentencing your coworkers to a two-hour wafting period if you have a fragrant lunch. Unless you're standing in front of your desk, you shouldn't be able to smell your lunch." Etiquette Entrees This menu of guidelines will keep your belly full and your reputation minty-fresh:
Don't keep a candy jar on your desk unless you want to attract a steady stream of coworkers like ants to a picnic. (And if you must share candy, make it chocolate.) Quick Tip: Brush Your Teeth Keep a toothbrush and toothpaste in your desk drawer, and use them. Nothing puts the kibosh on a ****er presentation like a spinach smile. |