If the clutter is getting out of control around your office, it
may be time to set some boundaries for keeping work areas neat and
establish policies for displaying personal items.
"In general terms, employers can establish nearly any rules
or regulations in the workplace, so long as there is no
discrimination or infringement on personal rights, and so long as
those rules are fairly and consistently applied," says Philip
Weber of Source One Consulting Inc., a human resources consulting
firm in Atlanta.
There are a number of reasons for regulating the personal items
employees can display at work. One is general aesthetics; what sort
of image does your facility project? Another is to prevent
workplace conflicts.
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"By now, nearly every employer knows that allowing
employees to display sexually suggestive material can be construed
to contribute to a hostile workplace environment, which is a form
of sexual harassment," says Weber. "The same follows for
anything that might offend a racial or ethnic group. Even if the
object or poster might not be found to create a hostile environment
in the courts, it's bad policy to allow one employee to offend
others."
You may also want to consider banning any potentially
controversial item, such as political posters, religious images,
and commentary on social issues.
The most popular approach to this issue is to establish a
general policy expressing your objective for the overall work
environment, then assume employees will be reasonable when it comes
to specific issues. Weber offers these tips:
Explain your reasons behind the policy.
Keep policy statements on this subject brief and general.
"The more detail you include, the more you'll need to
cover all conceivable instances," Weber says.
Limit what employees can display by category. For example, you
might prohibit "personal furniture" rather than listing
individual items such as chairs, tables and lamps.
Set restrictions for safety reasons. You may need to explain
that personal coffee makers or other cooking appliances cannot be
used at workstations because of the risk of fire.
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