Tips for Office Etiquette and Controlling Physical and Verbal Tics

I'm a generally high performer at my new job, and I've earned the respect of my boss with my work ethic and performance. However, some bad habits of mine have irked a few of my colleagues who otherwise respect me. Having trained as a percussionist early in my life, I have a habit of drumming with my hands and feet on various surfaces, and my naturally louder speaking voice can easily be overheard by others whenever I'm on a work call. These tics are exacerbated by the fact that our office is an open floor plan. My boss asked me to work from home for the past few weeks, with the intention of gradually bringing me back into the office about 3 days a week, which aligns with the other employees. I really like this job, want to make my coworkers happy, and don't want to do anything that might jeopardize my standing in the company. How can I get these tics reasonably under control and be more courteous to my coworkers?

Posted Mar 27, 2026, 8:13 PM UTC

14
Loading comments…