How accountable are you at work?

BY JAMES KAHONGEH
Our behaviour at the workplace says a lot about us. While most people are generally disciplined while at work, their scorecard in other fundamental areas of life isn’t as flattering. 

Granted, responsibility takes many forms, but it is usually the small nuances of our conduct that are, sadly, often overlooked. Here’s what you can do to stay accountable and improve your efficiency at work. 

Use of office stationery and equipment
Most companies usually suffer colossal losses through wasteful use of resources and, in some cases, pilferage by employees. Most workers don’t consider it their duty to preserve company assets. Have you been tempted to cart away sanitisers or masks provided for use at the office during this period? Well, that’s not very accountable of you. Also, do not be the one who replaces the cartridge before the last one is over, or the employee who always breaks office crockery and cutlery.

Littering
Most offices have cleaners whose work is to tidy the work environment. For some employees, this is an opportunity to litter their stations by leaving dirty cups, used masks, tissue paper and other filth on their desks. After all, someone will take care of the mess. Others even dump food remains in office bins meant for paper and other light waste. This attitude is not only irresponsible but grossly unethical.

Shared resources
Some professionals are entitled to office equipment assigned to them. This is especially so with office vehicles and laptops. Some even take them home to use as though they were personal property, thus inconveniencing colleagues. Incidentally, some supervisors issue out resources with bias. Their less preferred colleagues are denied resources on flimsy grounds. This is selfish. Office assets should be available to all for use for office work.

Not in use? Turn it off 
Power and water are perhaps the most wasted resources in any organisation. Some workers usually leave taps running after using a sink while others don’t care to switch off lights before leaving a room.  Have you ever walked into a washroom and found chunks of toilet paper on the floor? The company is paying for them, right? Wrong. Your employer is paying for these resources so that they can be used responsibly, so be responsible.

Use office resources for office work
How often do you use the office telephone to make personal calls or office mail for personal business? That’s not right. While it’s okay to print a private letter using office paper, stuffing a whole mass of paper in your desk for personal use is dubious. This inconveniences others and amounts to theft of company property. Remember that acceptable conduct transcends performance at work.

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