While you may not be able to shush people all the time and have no control over temperature control, there are other courtesies you can observe at work to keep the inter-departmental peace.

DON'T CROWD THE WATER COOLER 
Most people chat at the office water cooler so that they can get a break from their workstations and perhaps have a chinwag about office politics. That's all very well, but the moment you see that someone else is in line to use the cooler, you should make way for them so that they can use it and head back to their desks.

EMPTY YOUR GLASS 
If your office doesn't have disposable cups at the water cooler, chances are there will be a tumbler for everyone to use. For starters, don't fill the entire tumbler if you know you aren't going to finish it — that's just being plain eco-friendly. If you do have leftover water in the tumbler, empty it before putting it back in its place — especially if you've just had hot water. After all, you wouldn't want someone else getting scalded with your leftover water.

DON'T HANG AROUND IN THE RESTROOM
The ladies' loo is another favourite spot for women to chit-chat in between work. But make sure you don't hijack the space in front of the sink or block the door while you're chatting away. This way, you don't cause inconvenience to other people who may want to dash in and out.

FILL UP THE PRINTER 
Sometimes, different departments have to share a common a printer. So if you're sending a printout, you should first make sure that there's enough paper in the printer. Otherwise, you could be holding up someone else's print in the queue.

WAIT TO ENTER THE LIFT 
It's a common sight to see people standing right in front of the lift waiting for it to open and then bump into the people getting out of it when they enter. Let whoever is already in the lift exit it and then enter. It's only polite.

    
Source: Times of India