The American workplace is changing. No longer is every job fitted to an 8 to 5 schedule and suit-and-tie dress. This is the 21st century, after all, and that means flexible schedules, casual dress, PDAs and a generally more laid-back feel at many places of business. Even so, rules and regulations still exist, as well as an unspoken code of ethics that exists at even the most lax workplaces. Here are some dos and don'ts that will keep you in line with those rules and ethics codes, as well as some general guidelines for keeping you on the right track when it comes to climbing the career ladder. 

DO KEEP YOUR SOCIAL LIFE ON THE DOWNLOW:
There's nothing wrong with taking a phone call at work to discuss a sick child or an ill relative — or even an after-hours party. Those are potentially serious matters, and they also are exceptions to the rule that what happens in your free time, stays in your free time.

But no one wants to hear you chatting on your cell about how much you drank at the bar last night or droning on about that hottie in the cubicle down the hall.
Of course, considering a recent Harris Interactive poll revealed that 39 percent of the 5,727 surveyed have a kissed a co-worker, a social life often can't help finding its way into the workplace.

DO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE WORTH:
According to the Department of Labor, the average Texan worker makes $36,410 per year, compared with $44,180 for the average worker in California. Meanwhile, the average employee in New York clears $45,820 per year. Different careers pay different amounts in different places, taking into account factors such as local economy and home prices. In other words, that $5,000 raise you received to relocate from Texas to New York may sound nice at first, until you realize that your annual rent alone is going to increase by more than that amount. The Department of Labor has more specific breakdowns of average wage by profession across the U.S., so utilize that resource in learning what you're truly worth at your job.

DO KEEP YOUR RÉSUMÉ CURRENT:
Your grandparents may have stayed at the same job for 35 years, but those days are gone. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average American changes jobs every 3/61/27 years. Even if you like your first real job out of college, who's to say your feelings won't change down the line? Update your résumé so that you won't have to scramble when you decide it's time to leave your current job, or even worse, when your boss decides it's time for you to leave your current job.

DO BE A FRIEND:
Even if you brought your lunch that day, go out to lunch with your co-workers if they invite you along. Congratulate them on their personal or professional accomplishments and make yourself available for some mindless chitchat. But .....

DO BE A TEAM PLAYER:
It's 4 p.m., the afternoon is winding down and you're essentially done for the day. Your co-worker, however, is buried under a mountain of work. Instead of checking your fantasy football league's waiver wire for the next hour, offer a helping hand. Not only will you earn some points at the office, but the gods of karma will one day smile upon thee.
 

DON'T TAKE CRITICISM PERSONALLY:
This is a tough one, as no one likes to be corrected or told they need improvement in a particular area. But it's part of life in the workplace. Your boss will provide constructive criticism to you, his or her boss will do so to them and so on. Sit there, take it, learn from it and do your best to make sure it never happens again.

DON'T STEAL:
This might sound like a no-brainer, but according to Harris Interactive's survey, 22 percent of those polled have lifted something from their office. No, there's nothing wrong with grabbing a few pens and Post-It pads for office use. But there is something wrong with taking three boxes of pens, an office phone and a laptop home with no intention of bringing them back to work.
 
DON'T BE TOO PROFANE:
Expressing joy at Dallas' “ass-kicking” of Washington or Philadelphia probably won't get you into trouble, but telling a co-worker to “kiss my ass” very well might. Watch what you say, and how you say it, and please shy away from using any of the so-called “seven dirty words” at the workplace. We'd print the list right here, but we're trying to keep our jobs.

DON'T GOSSIP:
According to the Harris Interactive poll, 22 percent of those surveyed have spread a rumor about a co-worker, so a good number of you out there are dishing dirt at the workplace. When it comes to office gossip, follow a simple rule: Don't say anything in private that you wouldn't want broadcast in public. If that somehow means you've got the guts to publicly proclaim that your boss manages his or her staff about as well as Britney Spears manages her career, well, then you're a brave person, albeit a soon-to-be-unemployed one.

DON'T TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A RELAXED DRESS CODE:
Casual dress typically includes jeans, collared shirts, blouses, etc. It doesn't typically include tattered khaki shorts, flip-flops and a T-shirt that reads, “Why kill them with kindness when you can use an axe?”