Why does "work" make people behave differently?
 

What is it about an office that makes people behave completely differently than the do at home?

Why do they act is a weird officious manner, talk strange, use words that they never use outside the office. Everyone knows that is not what they are like so why do it?

To be professional?

professional what?

Dictionary.com defines “professional” as:

adj.

1.Of, relating to, engaged in, or suitable for a profession: lawyers, doctors, and other professional people.
2.Conforming to the standards of a profession: professional behavior.
3.Engaging in a given activity as a source of livelihood or as a career: a professional writer.
4.Performed by persons receiving pay: professional football.
5.Having or showing great skill; expert: a professional repair job.
n.

1.A person following a profession, especially a learned profession.
2.One who earns a living in a given or implied occupation: hired a professional to decorate the house.
3.A skilled practitioner; an expert.

Yes that relates to A profession that comes with training and education but what has that to do with putting on a faux persona and using and speaking in a strange language that is not you?

being a doctor is a profession but most if not all doctors speak like they do when they are at home. Why does that not apply to a manager at a call center or at a Office supplies company or at manager level in a Supermarket?

You act in the way of how you react while working in your job. When you are at home of course your behaviour and that changes. You are more relaxed at home and want to put your feet up after a hard day at work. Unless you have kids and have to cook tea and all that jazz. lol

being relaxed is not what I mean. Adopting a fake office persona is what I mean.

Its like letters or emails

"I write with reference to. Your sincerely. Further to our telephone conversation. "

wtf is that?

It is what you have to do in some offices. If you don't follow the job you are doing correctly then you get the sack.

The Office is an over exaggerated drama though.

If I acted like I do at home in an office I would be sacked and chucked out.... but I am willing to act like a professional manner in certain moments. I can act professional, same in an interview, I put a lovely front on like i am the best person ever (i bet everyone does) just to get the job/or college place (i did both). If i went in there being myself, slouching (which is do) they wouldnt employ me.

sacked for slouching?

Because it is the norm that in a workplace you follow set procedures and parlance, the terms you use for emails and letters are easily understood formulaic sentences that are considered polite yet businesslike.

It saves someone waffling for a paragraph that the reason for a particular letter is to confirm the information given in a previous telephone call for example.

Nope, not getting a job for slouching in an interview is what I said.

Really Leather - these white military jumbos ain't about to target you deep deep in the Highlands and Shasown has mineswept Elgin while going to WH Smiths for a paper so the centres of the world superpowers are safe - cool it

God bless the office xmas party...It's always the quiet ones !!

I would sack you for your avatar