#053 Office Etiquette (Conference Rooms)

In an office setting, conference rooms are extremely resourceful. Whether you're having a conference through the internet, a telephone conference or even just a meeting with associates at your location, conference rooms can give you the resources and privacy needed to discuss project-related or sensitive topics.

At one of my previous jobs, my desk was situated directly across from the door to a conference room. That is, I could turn my head to the right and look directly inside the room and see all the chairs and the table. There would constantly be people meeting in this room, sometimes just meeting in person but often having telephone conferences. This room was actually constructed out of what was originally a few cubicles, so walls were constructed in their place to form an enclosed room. However, when they constructed this room, they did not insulate the walls. Every time there was a telephone conference I could literally hear every word everyone was saying when the door was open but ALSO when it was closed! Closing the door made the sound a bit more muffled, but I eventually kept a small fan at my desk and turned it on to drown out the noise.

When there are desks / cubicles near conference rooms, it is not polite to leave the door open. It's not so much the content of the meeting that needs to remain private (although often it is), but rather the fact that having a conversation about anything near anyone that doesn't need to hear it is kind of rude. Point 1: Keep conference room doors closed.

Another useful tool when it comes to conference rooms is the ability to reserve them. From my past experience, most companies manage the use of conference rooms through the company's email client. This makes it easy to see which rooms are available and when, and also to manage them when there is a conflict. However, it is SO ANNOYING when you actually book a room and someone else is using the room but didn't bother to check the schedule for that room.

Two days in a row now I have had a meeting in the morning, and both days there has been the same person in the room, using the room literally as a personal office. This person is a repeat offender – they frequently use this room without reserving it, then when I or others hover outside the room until they notice, they emerge from the room and ask, "Oh, do you have this room now?". Uhhhhhh... YEAH, had you bothered to check the schedule, you would have seen when my meeting was scheduled, so you can go call-in to your telephone conference either from your own desk or another conference room that was not reserved. Better yet, you likely know AHEAD OF TIME that you have to call-in to a telephone conference, so why don't you (*gasp*) reserve a room for that time so you can make sure that no one disturbs you! Point 2: Reserve a conference room if you need one.

At my current job, I sit near a manager's office (a small room with a window and door). Very often there are people that stop by to chat with him, have meetings, and also to have conference calls (rather than reserving a conference room). There are times when people will stop by either on purpose or just to chat, and they will actually stand in the doorway and talk to the manager as opposed to going inside the office, sitting down and having the conversation at a reasonable volume. Instead, from the doorway, they will carry on a conversation at a completely unreasonable "office" volume and joke, laugh and carry on for several minutes – once it lasted up to 45 minutes. The manager is pretty mindful of their surroundings, but it's the people that come talk to the manager that are completely disrespectful. Point 3: If there is a room with a door, get in the room and close the door before proceeding with your conversation.