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The Demise of Office Etiquette

Has the changing landscape of the workplace caused people to forget some of the simplest rules of office etiquette?  I ask this after my Monday morning at the office.

Shortly after my arrival at the office this morning, I heard the distinctive sound of nail clippers from one of the cubicle “islands” nearby.  I could not make out who it was for certain, but needless to say, the sound caused me to twitter the following:

OK. Whomever decided to clip their nails in cubeland deserves to be taken out into the street, publicly humiliated, then shot.

I then had a couple of other meetings later in the morning, but I again heard the distinctive sound of nail clippers again when I returned to my desk.  This time, I was able to spot the self-styled manicurist a row over from my desk.  Again, I incredulously twittered.

I mean, really, in such close quarters in cubeland, why would anyone have the bright idea to just start giving themselves a manicure right at their desk?  There is no privacy for what is a personal grooming task.  Moreover, there is no controlling the trajectory of the nail clippings.  In other words, the nail clippings are being scatter-shot around their desk.

It just seems as though this is yet another example of the death of office etiquette.  Just like the folks who engage in cell phone conversations while in the restroom, here is yet another example of the death of common sense.  Does the advent of the cubicle mean that common courtesy dies an inglorious death?
To quote Joseph Welch during the Army-McCarthy Hearings in the 1950s, “Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?”

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By JJT – November 10, 2008

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