Personalise your workspace at your peril

A list of strict dos and don'ts has been issued to staff in BHP's Brisbane office, upsetting some employees. Photo / Thinkstock

If you like eating curry at your desk and plastering your workspace with newspaper cuttings and cartoons, don't apply for a job with BHP Billiton, one of Australia's biggest mining companies.

A list of strict dos and don'ts has been issued to staff in BHP's Brisbane office, upsetting some employees.

The dos include turning down the volume on their mobile telephones and removing post-it notes from their computer keyboards and monitors at the end of each day.

The don'ts include slinging jackets over their chairs, speaking loudly and personalising their workspace.

The new regime is to be "enforced" by senior executives, according to the Australian, which has obtained a copy of the memo. It will also be policed by cleaners, who will inspect employees' desks at night and throw away everything apart from their computer monitor, keyboard, mouse, docking station and telephone.

"One framed photograph" is allowed and eating lunch at desks is no longer permitted. Food that "emits strong odours" has been outlawed.

Employees are not allowed to store anything except their lunch in the communal fridges.

They may not bring iPods or MP3 players into work, and have been instructed to moderate the tone and volume of their voice, and their language, in the office.

A BHP spokeswoman, Samantha Stevens, said the policy was being implemented across the company, and reflected the fact that many employees travelled between offices or engaged in "hot desking".

Clothes are not to be placed on desks or chairs, but must be left in "designated storage areas". The memo adds: "Small bags may be stored under workstations during the day or stored in cupboards. Food must NOT be eaten at your workstation."