Respecting OPS

My youngest son has this way of following me wherever I go when he wants something, which includes standing outside the bathroom door when I need a moment to myself. Interestingly enough he’s good about not interrupting me when I’m talking to someone else, but the bathroom is another matter. It’s a good example of stepping over a very clear boundary.

I’m pretty sure he’s not the only child who does this!

I’ve talked to him a few times about the importance of respecting Other People’s Space (OPS): How in a civilized world we knock on a door before entering, we don’t take things that aren’t ours without permission, we don’t interrupt others, etc. He gets it but at his age still needs a few reminders because it’s still all about him.

Which makes me think about life at the office…

I work in a cubicle with eleven other people. There is constant interruption. We wheel over to each other’s desk, talk over the walls, “borrow” paper clips and whatnot and start conversations without any regard to what the person we want to talk to is doing. There are no boundaries at work which is one reason I’m so drained by the end of the day.

Who came up with the concept of the cubicle anyway???

They should be banned. There’s no training a group of seasoned sales people to behave! There is so much distraction it’s a wonder I get anything done. But with the chaos is a lot of laughter and fortunately I work with a great group of people.

But I like my space, natural lighting, and peace and quiet. And a sofa for mid-afternoon naps. I’m not going to find that at work!

This week I’m going to focus on respecting OPS at work. Maybe if I behave better they will too. We’ll see!

#boundaries #cubicle #work