No one knows why a lot of people don't understand how important manners are in the workplace, especially when their social and even driving etiquette is nearly perfect. But some people aren't sure what kind of behavior is expected. Failing to adhere to basic office etiquette can possibly cost a business customers, can cause a worker to lose a promotion, and can even spell the end of the job for some.
Here are some basic tips on workplace etiquette.
Using Manners Shows Respect for One's Supervisor
Obviously, smarting off to the boss is one quick way to get in trouble and lose points. But many employees don't understand that showing respect for one's supervisor means more than watching one's tongue. Some supervisors want and expect employees to be honest (and oftentimes that means disagreeing), but being honest can be done with respect by being polite and appreciating the boss's opinion and experience.
There are other simple ways to show respect for the boss as well as coworkers and other superiors:
- Don't just pop into someone's office without knocking first, even if that person has an open-door policy. Knocking is courteous.
- If the person appears busy, offer to come back later. Don't demand the person to drop whatever he is doing to answer a question.
- Don't hover outside someone's office when she's talking to someone else or is on the phone. Come back later.
- In meetings or even water cooler conversation, wait for the other person to finish what he is saying before offering another point of view.
Cubicle Etiquette is Important
In this day and age where a large room can literally house dozens of cubicles, it's important for workers to be aware of their environment. It's too easy to lose track of oneself, but it's best to remember that a cubicle is not an office – there is no door, and the walls are not absolute. Noise carries over the wall, as do smells. Being aware of the environment can often help workers watch their manners, but here are some things to keep in mind:
- Not everyone wants to hear his coworker's stories about her love life (or lack thereof). This applies not only to people in one's cubicle visiting, but to the phone as well. Even though those walls are carpeted, the sound does still carry. Talking loudly on the phone is rude.
- Working through lunch? Be aware of smells that also spread throughout the room. Salads or sandwiches will go over much better than a stinky cheeseburger or plate of reheated spaghetti.
- That goes double for other scents, such as perfumes. Many people with sensitive noses or breathing problems prefer an odorless workplace.
Manners and Machinery: Office Equipment Etiquette
Many office workers have at least one story of some rude coworker leaving the copy machine empty or - worse yet – jammed for the next person. The same goes with printers and even the coffee maker. Workers should strive to be known as the polite coworker who always leaves the copy machine filled with paper and toner.
What if someone doesn't know how to fix the jam? Find someone else who knows how and learn for future reference!
Office Manners are Important
Obviously, there are so many other ways to be polite at work. Refraining from gossiping, remembering to say "thank you," and taking responsibility are all ways to mind one's manners at work, and phone manners are just as important.
Basically, just like manners in all aspects of life, it comes down to the golden rule: An employee should treat others the way she wants to be treated. If she does that (keeps her voice down when talking in her cubicle, knocks on her boss's door before entering, fills the paper in the printer, etc.), she is likely to not only earn the respect and admiration of her coworkers, but she'll likely have a better chance of keeping her job and maybe even getting a promotion.
Cynthia Jones-Shoeman - Cynthia (“Cindy”) Jones-Shoeman earned her MA in English from Colorado State University in 2007; her thesis was "Toni ...
