I read about some social rules on the internet, and thought this would be a good idea to collect some of these general ideas, and organise my thinkings in this area.

According to Wikipedia ,

Social Rules, or Social Norms, are shared standards of acceptable behaviour by groups. Social norms can both be informal understanding that govern the behaviour of members of a society, as well as codified into rules and laws.

Social rules can be applied to multiple areas, not only your workspace, but also your daily life.

DOs

  1. Return money that you have borrowed even before the person that borrowed you remember or ask for it.
    • It shows your integrity and character.
    • Same goes with umbrellas, pens and lunch boxes.
  2. Always open the door for the person coming behind you. It doesn’t matter if it is a guy or a girl, senior or junior.
    • You don’t grow small by treating someone well in public.
  3. If you take a taxi with a friend and they pay now, try paying next time.
  4. Respect different shades of opinions.
    • Remember what’s 6 to you will appear 9 to someone facing you. Besides, second opinion is good for an alternative.
  5. Say “thank you” when someone is helping you.
  6. Praise publicly. Criticize privately.
  7. Treat the cleaner with the same respect as the CEO.
    • Nobody is impressed at how rude you can treat someone below you but people will notice if you treat them with respect.
  8. Appreciation remains the easiest way of getting what you don’t have.

DON’Ts

  1. Don’t call someone more than twice continuously.
    • If they don’t pick up your call, presume they have something important to attend to.
    • My philosophy is somewhat similar like aforementioned. I would always assume people have full packed agenda with other things, in accompanying with that I always send a message proactively to check people’s availability before calling someone.
  2. Don’t ask awkward questions like ‘Oh so you aren’t married yet?’ Or ‘Don’t you have kids’ or ‘Why didn’t you buy a house?’ Or why don’t you buy a car?
    • For God’s sake it isn’t your problem.
    • Don’t awkward others, or yourself!
  3. Never interrupt people talking.
    • Allow them to pour it out. As they say, hear them all and filter them all.
  4. Never order the expensive dish on the menu when someone is giving you a lunch/dinner.
  5. If you tease someone, and they don’t seem to enjoy it, stop it and never do it again.
    • It encourages one to do more and it shows how appreciative you’re.
  6. There’s almost never a reason to comment on someone’s weight.
    • Just say, “You look fantastic.” If they want to talk about losing weight, they will.
  7. When someone shows you a photo on their phone, don’t swipe left or right.
    • You never know what’s next, and you never want to know that!
  8. If a colleague tells you they have a doctors’ appointment, don’t ask what it’s for, just say “I hope you’re okay”.
    • Don’t put them in the uncomfortable position of having to tell you their personal illness.
    • If they want you to know, they’ll do so without your inquisitiveness.
    • Just be a genuine person to everyone.
  9. If a person is speaking directly to you, staring at your phone is rude.
  10. Never give advice until you’re asked. People won’t take, or appreciate your words until they need them.
  11. When meeting someone after a long time, unless they want to talk about it, don’t ask them their age and salary.
  12. Mind your business unless anything involves you directly - just stay out of it.
    • Don’t step on others toes, but also don’t be afraid to provide help to others.