Standing Up

When someone comes over to your desk for a chat about something should you stand up?

It's a difficult one. 

On the face of it the answer must be No. It's not necessary. Just stay seated and let them stand. Why should you both suffer? Often they will perch themselves on the side of your desk (brushing important papers to one side) or, if there's a chair, they might take that. 

If they take the chair though, invariably the chairs' owner comes back and then they have to say "Ah, I was just keeping it warm for you" and when you think about it that's really not an altogether pleasant notion. Someone using their ass to warm something up for you.

It's a difficult one and no mistaking.

I put this quandary to someone today and she said standing is unnecessary. In fact she said that when she wants to get rid of someone she stands up. She learned about it on some time management course. If the visitor doesn't take the hint after that she will grab her cup and simply walk away. To get a cup of tea whether she wants one or not. A gross misuse of company resources one might argue.

Company Handbook, Section 15, article 5.1.4

Only drink tea if absolutely parched.

The worst thing about all this is that if your boss comes over to your desk you would probably stand up, wouldn't you? Admit it. If you didn't stand up there would certainly be a little voice in your head nagging "I should stand up, I should stand up...". 

If you submit to that little voice I would urge you to do it quickly. There's nothing more stupid than standing up half way through a conversation for no apparent reason.