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29 March 2024

10 unspoken office rules for most UAE employees

Published
By Shuchita Kapur

There are some unwritten rules, but critical ones that are a part of the office culture at the workplace. These unwritten rules, not mentioned in any contract letter, but are important behavioural nuances that are expected of most employees at work.

Here are some examples of unwritten rules that can portray you as a serious employee, a good and well-behaved colleague and a few of them are even important for career advancement as well.

London & Zurich, a company in direct debit market, have put together the 10 that are likely to matter most.

1# Don’t be the fool who forgets to click 'reply all' in group e-mails

Haven’t we all made this mistake? A common error it is but definitely a foolish one. If you don't want to be labelled a luddite, antisocial or just plain rude, remember that all important "reply all" button next time you shoot a group e-mail.

2# Dare leave at 5pm? It’s a cardinal sin

Even the most dedicated clock-watcher knows that packing up and going home on the dot of 5pm is not cool. You may be just sitting idle or playing candy crash on your machine but still hang on to it to be past time. This will only help you make friends and ensure that your boss won’t consider you the one who switches off the machine on the dot, ready to leave.

3# Take office coffee/tea rounds seriously

These may really not be worth the time but if you fail to make good on your scheduled tea round you're opening yourself up to a whole world of passive aggression. Make sure you are present at these sessions just to ensure that you are an active team member even if you detest the office coffee as most people do.

4# No cheesy music until Thursday afternoon


No Katy Perry, no Taylor Swift, and categorically no One Direction is to be played until Thursday. On Thursday, however, the cheese may rain down with impunity and drive your resident workplace "museos" absolutely bananas.

5# Do not ask your colleague about his personal medical appointment

It’s good to be concerned but better avoid it when it comes to the workplace. Do not ask your colleague about a probable medical appointment. Unless of course you want to invade their privacy and open up a universe of awkwardness or want to hear some unpleasant details about their skin infection or a growing toe nail.

6# Participate in idle, unfulfilling chit-chat


Holidays, other people's weddings, the weather, your colleague's new solitaire, the new Chinese restaurant in Downtown – may not sound really relevant to you work but such talks are an integral part of the office culture. We suggest be engrossed in these talks to fit into the culture.

7# "Doing anything nice this weekend?" Answer this Thursday question with excitement
You may really not be doing anything during the weekend. Your plans may be limited to scrubbing the home floors, doing the groceries or just running errands. But don’t tell your colleague just that.

Instead, tell them you are planning a barbeque with friends and family and will probably head to the fanciest restaurant for dinner and movie perhaps. The idea is that you will tell your colleagues you're going to have loads of fun, just remember to have a story for Sunday morning's round of: "How was your weekend?"

8# Please no smelling food at work

Yes, it’s an age old unstated rule and a matter of courtesy but people still pack foods to work with strong odour. Avoid it. Do not be the person with the smelly lunch, else you will soon become an object of revulsion.

9# Eat your colleague’s cake and make a fuss about it

In every office you will come across someone who loves baking and then they treat you with their delights. You will have to show great enthusiasm and appreciation of the office baker’s hard work and eat a slice whether you like cake or not.

10# Get acquainted with the office jargon


Every office has their own jargon, which most employees use and most understand. Jump on the bandwagon and use the phrases and short forms that are acceptable. It could be "blue sky thinking", "managing expectations" or delivering a project by "EOP". You'll need to engage with the office lingo and follow this unspoken rule.