Have you ever come across an annoying person in a conference room? When it comes to meeting rooms, there is a specific etiquette to respect.
Meeting rooms are an important part of a workplace. They are shared places used whenever people need a place to meet privately as a team, meeting rooms allow them to stay closed and work without interruption.
Demand for closed-door meeting rooms remains high, as seen here for some office spaces in Malta. But no matter what, they will only continue to be useful if employees continue to adhere to meeting room etiquette.
Like for any shared space, there are a lot of unwritten rules that people (employees and employers) need to abide by if the space is to be properly maintained and utilized by everyone. Find out 5 easy rules to follow for a meeting room etiquette.
Book your room in advance
Most service providers have a process of booking a meeting room. When you’re in a shared office community, you don’t just enter an empty meeting room without confirmation. That’s a no go. Meeting rooms must be booked in advance, no matter what.
Once you know that you have a meeting and that you will require a room, just book the office space in advance to make sure you have a specific room just for you. Being proactive is the best.
And once you have the meeting, do yourself and everyone a favor. Close the door. No one needs to hear what you are saying. Also, people will understand that your room is occupied and they will not interrupt you.
Leave the room as you found it
No one wants to get rid of the mess created by other people. Clean the room and collect everything you might have left. Throw everything in the trash before you leave the room.
Another thing is to make sure you are turning the A/C, the lights and the heater off. Also, do not forget to close the door when you leave.
Book according to meeting time
Make sure you are arriving at the right time and leave at the right time. Be punctual. If you have a meeting at 10am, make sure to be there on time. The slots exist for a reason and they have specific maximum length.
You must book accordingly. Make sure you are allocating yourself enough time for the meeting. Even if your meeting is not done, you need to clear the space and leave the room. Respecting the schedule is important. Other people will definitely appreciate it.
Cancel as soon as possible if need be
If, for any reason, you need to cancel your booking, it’s fine. You just need to inform the reception or staff of the office space as soon as possible. This is a polite way to handle things.
Even if canceling a reservation is not a great thing (as the room will usually no longer be available during the booking process) it is better than reserving and leaving an empty seat. Cancel at the earliest possible time to give others more of an opportunity to book that space.
Don’t claim a room without reservation
The majority of service providers offer a procedure for booking a conference or meeting space. If you work in a shared office environment, don’t just walk into an empty meeting room without first seeking confirmation.
You might think that it’s okay to enter a meeting room that is unoccupied. Even for just a few minutes, you might consider this as normal since no one is in there. However, you should not think that as it is extremely rude. Imagine if the room is empty just because the person who booked it is late?
Before entering a meeting room, make sure that you have checked the schedule. Speak to the office space staff first.
Whether you are having a one to one meeting or a big one with a lot of people, following our 5 rules will definitely help you. Respecting this meeting room etiquette will create respect amongst your colleagues or amongst people in the co-working space. Do you have your own tips? Share them below in the comments!
