What Not to Do at Work

Dec. 4, 2006 — -- This time of the year, people get so busy with holiday planning -- and holiday partying -- that it can be tempting to call in sick to work just to get some rest. A new survey by CareerBuilder.com shows that 32 percent of workers called in sick when they felt well at least once in the last year.

That poses a question: Is faking sick a way of getting a well-deserved mental health day, or just a show of bad work ethics?

On "Good Morning America," Jodi Smith, president of the etiquette consulting firm Mannersmith, weighed in on calling in sick and other ethical issues in the workplace.

Calling in Sick

There is such a thing as a mental health day. Though you may not be physically ill, perhaps you need a day to gather your thoughts -- that's fine. But if you are getting out of work because you need to finish your holiday shopping, that's not OK.

Also, be mindful of when you are calling in -- don't do it when others need you. Call in sick when you have the time and it will not adversely affect others at the company.

Stealing Office Supplies

An office supplies survey by career publisher Vault, Inc. found that 67 percent of employees have taken office supplies from work to use outside the office or for matters unrelated to the job.

Stealing physical items, from paper clips to laptops, is an ethical slippery slope. If you're using the supplies to work on work, that's OK. But if you're using them for family or personal use, it's not. For example: if you take pads of paper to brainstorm for work during the train ride home, that's fine. But it's not fine to use them to keep track of your kids' soccer game scores or run your side business from home.

'Stealing Time'

The term "stealing time" refers to when you're physically at office but not actually doing any work. That doesn't mean occasionally checking a personal email address -- it's when someone is perpetually checking personal email, always on phone with friends or surfing the internet.

There's a social contract that states employees must come to work and actually do their jobs. Just physically being at the office isn't enough to pay a star employee when they get to a stopping point. Good workers don't just twiddle thumbs, they ask for extra assignments.

Coming to Work Sick

Coming in to work sick with a contagious illness is bad because it makes others sick and prevents them from doing their job. It's also selfish. If you know you could spread your illness to others, stay home for an appropriate amount of time, rest up, and come back to work rejuvenated and healthy.

Spreading Gossip

The No. 1 workplace ethics faux pas: being the office gossip, especially if the rumors you spread tend not to be true. Gossiping fosters a negative environment at the office and reduces trust. It's unethical on two levels: it's bad to spread the rumors, and it's bad because of the effect it has on morale.