Workplace manners 101
What is working in an ethical manner?
Workplace etiquette means acting with integrity, honesty and accountability in your job. It involves making moral, legal choices aligned with your company’s code of ethics. Business etiquette in the office requires considering implications, respecting others, protecting confidentiality, and upholding high professional standards.
As a hiring manager, it’s your responsibility to oversee employees and mentor them as they enter the company. The last thing you want to do is bring in a group of new workers who show little to no respect to their administrators and fellow peers in the working environment and have no basic workplace etiquette.
Understanding basic workplace etiquette is a must if your business wants to work together successfully. Unfortunately, you can’t just assume that your new hires will practice the same manners their parents taught them as children – you may have to give them a good reminder of proper etiquette at work.
To ensure positive employee morale and productivity, reiterate the importance of workplace etiquette 101 by sharing these tips:
1. Understand when to keep your office door closed
If you have the privilege to have your own office, be mindful of those nearby by understanding when to keep the door closed. Whether you have a visitor, you’re on the phone or taking a break to catch up on the news from your television or computer screen, the noise can be a distraction to others who are trying to work.
2. Be mindful of your surroundings while you’re on the phone
To ensure positive employee morale and productivity, teach your new workers a thing or two about workplace manners 101 by sharing these tips.
If you’re on the other side of the spectrum and you take calls and visitors from your desk in the open workspace, be mindful of those around you. Talking too loudly while you’re on the phone can be distracting to others.
To practice etiquette in the office, try to keep in-office visits short, or wait until your surrounding co-workers are on break to bring your family and friends into the office to see where you work every day.
3. Give your full attention during a meeting
While attending a meeting, devote all of your attention to the speaker. Leave your phone on mute, or better yet, just leave it at your desk. The only time you should bring and use a laptop or tablet is if you’re taking notes.
Avoid fidgeting and never engage in conversation with your co-workers while the speaker is presenting. Not only is this distracting, it’s incredibly disrespectful.
4. Stay home when you’re sick
Certainly, it might show how dedicated you are to your job if you come to the office while you’re sick, but you’ll just get sent home. Save everyone the trouble and stay away from the office when you feel under the weather.
Use a sick day or make an arrangement to work from home if you feel fully capable of completing your job for the day.
5. Be courteous in the kitchen
Office kitchen etiquette is pretty simple: Don’t leave your dirty dishes in the sink and never take and eat someone else’s food from the refrigerator. Also, try to avoid using the microwave for foods with an overpowering scent, whether it’s burnt popcorn or last night’s leftover fish to practice good office etiquette.
Never leave your dirty dishes in the sink at work.6. Only “reply all” when necessary
Email etiquette is just as important as in-person manners are to the workplace. Use the company’s advised formatting when sending messages to co-workers and clients, and always remember to avoid “replying all” when it’s not necessary.
There’s no reason your entire team needs to see you question a higher-up after a company-wide email, so be mindful of who you’re responding to before you click send as part of communication etiquette in the workplace.
When sharing these tips about good office etiquette, don’t come off as condescending. There’s a fine line between treating your employees like children and sharing advice about manners in the office. Use this guide as a tool to achieve workplace etiquette 101 with ease.
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