Business Etiquette in the Workplace
Introduction
Business Etiquette requires a finebalance of good manners and business acumen. Often the outcome of an important business meeting or business collaboration hinges on the observance of proper etiquette although this may not be as apparent as certain other issues. Proper business etiquette depends on the situation, environment, differences in cultures and the people involved. A manager gets a big boost to conducting his business successfully by learning how to behave properly in all types of business settings. Discourteous behavior is often inadvertent and easily remedied by always remembering to practice good manners and being open and honest in communicating with other people. In today’s intensely competitive business environment, it is essential that no stone is left unturned towards achieving one’s goals and objectives and observing proper business etiquette. Learning the skills of proper communication will help managers to adopt the right strategiesin business situations. As aptly said by Baldridge (2003, Chapter 1, para.7), “a good manager usually has a good mindset, a positive attitude that is inherent in his actions toward the company, its employees, and the common goals they all share”.
People-centric etiquette
The first rule to remember is that business etiquette is based on basic good manners. The manners that were learnt in kindergarten and on one’s mother’s knees are timeless. Like most etiquette guidelines, business etiquette is also people-centric. One must remember to be always courteous to all people at all times. “People are a key factor in your own and yourbusiness’ success. Many potentially worthwhile and profitable alliances have been lost because of an unintentional breach of manners.” (Gamonal, The Opportunity, para.2). People are the key resource in any business environment and for any organization. Inconsiderate or offensive language should never be used when communicating with people, no matter what their standing within the organization. Keeping all communication open and honest ensures a higher level of understanding. When dealing with people, one should not allow that person’s standing within the organization to affect one’s behavior towards him or her. A person from a lower standing can also be influential in various minor ways that can hamper or aid a manager in his duties. Being thoughtful and considerate will always ensure that other people remember the individual with goodwill.
Introducing People
Knowing how to introduce other people and how to introduce oneself where necessary is very important. One should always introduce the junior person to the senior person. For example, a junior executive should be introduced to the CEO of another company, a peer should be introduced to another peer from a different company, a personal friend should be introduced to a senior official in the company, an executive from one’s own company should be introduced to the customer or client, etc. In fact the person who holds superior status should be introduced later. Since a customer or client always holds superior status, hence he or she should be introduced later. It is perfectly correct to introduce a head of a division in one’s company (say, Mr.Brown) to a client like this, “Mr.Brown, I would like you to meet Mr.Green, our client from Oregon.”Another important aspect of introductions is to try and remember other people’s names, titles and other details as everyone likes to be remembered after an initial introduction. In case, names or titles are forgotten, then it should be handled gracefully instead of fumbling around. Also, when meeting business associates for the first time, one should always introduce oneself to the other person. This prompts the other person also to introduce himself or herself. When introducing people or oneself, then some initial information should also be given out to enable smooth conversation.
Etiquette with superiors, peers and subordinates
An employee should not only be courteous and civil to his superiors but should also be equally courteous to his peers and those down the hierarchy. With a superior, besides common civility, an employee should always ensure that he/she is in possession of all information pertaining to the projects at hand and the progress of work. With one’s peers and subordinates also, observing good etiquette is conducive to a happy workplace which results in improvement of productivity and subsequent profitability to the organization. One should also remember that in today’s business world of ample opportunity for all people; it might just happen that a junior in the organization today becomes tomorrow’s important client!Hence it also makes for good sense and foresightedness to always be courteous and civil to everybody one meets.
Saying “please”, “thank you” and “sorry”
The simple words “please”, “thank you” and “sorry” should always be at the tips of one’s tongue. It is very important to know when to say these simple words of etiquette that make a huge difference. These words should come automatically and sincerely and should be said with ease. When asking a junior to do a minor job, one should say please, when asking him to do extra work one should say please, when causing unintended damage or unintentionally ruffling feathers one should immediately say sorry, when a favor is done towards one then thank you should be an automatic response. In various situations, as appropriate, one should utter these words and mean them sincerely. As with all etiquette, such small uses of politeness are also an integral part of business etiquette.
Making a good impression
A part of good business etiquette also pertains to trying to make a good impression on people. It shows that the employee gives importance to the business environment and to the business associates.
Roberts (1998, p.4, para.2) is of the opinion that:
The impression you give will be a combination of a number of things – how you look, how you manage your body, how you listen, how you speak and ask questions, how you respond to challenges and how you deal with negative feedback.
One should always present a neat and well-groomed look, not only on formal occasions but also in casual business settings. When it comes to dressing then it is a common rule-of-thumb that if an employee is in doubt then he/she should always err on the formal side. Acting appropriately and managing one’s body language is also important in making a good impression. Body language can give out signals of hostility or co-operation. Managing one’s postures, mannerisms and gestures to exude a co-operative and friendly attitude will smoothen most business situations and can make all the difference in success or failure in that particular endeavor. For all occasions, an employee should be well-prepared with adequate business literature, facts and figures and the status of the project under discussion. An employee should also remember that communicating well is a prime factor in making a good impression on business associates.
Meetings
If a meeting is required, then a detailed agenda of the meeting should be prepared beforehand and communicated to all participants. The Agenda of the Meeting should contain the date & time of the meeting, the subject matter to be discussed and duration of the meeting. The date and time should be so chosen that it is convenient for all participants as far as possible. When on the receiving end of Meeting Agenda, one should check one’s calendar and make it a point to confirm one’s attendance. The minutes of the Meeting should be duly recorded and circulated among all members later. This shows the members that their contribution has been noted and recorded for future action. If a person is not present at the Meeting then his name should not be put down for tasks without taking his prior consent since his availability or otherwise would not be known. It is a part of proper etiquette to observe strict punctuality for meetings. Employees should always come well-prepared for a meeting with all relevant data and information on hand to avoid wasting time and ensuring a fruitful meeting. Care should be taken that a Meeting does not exceed the allotted time since this could mean unforeseen inconvenience for quite a lot of the participants.
Phone calls
When attending to phone calls, one should remember to be invariably polite to the caller. Even if he or she is being disturbed, he/she should remember that the person at the other end does not know that. If an employee is busy then he can politely excuse himself and ask to be called later or can say that he will call back at a specific time and such promises should always be followed up. If an employee is absent when a phone call is received on his behalf then also he should make it a point to call back. All phone calls should always be returned. When on the phone, an even and pleasant tone of voice gives the message that the person is of good temperament and possibly a good worker. When picking up the phone, an employee should always identify himself and his department. Since phone calls are not face-to-face, hence the temptation to be short and ill-mannered with the other person should be strictly avoided. In fact, one should be extra careful when attending to phone calls. Careful business etiquette should also be observed when attending to cellular phone calls. When taking a cell phone call, one should use a quiet voice so as not to disturb other workers in the vicinity and personal information like credit card numbers or bank account numbers should never be exchanged. Where the business situation is serious, in certain Meetings, Seminars or Conferences, the cell phone should be switched to silent mode.
Emails are also subject to the same temptation of possible rudeness as phone calls since emails are also not face-to-face. While sending an email or replying to an email, the sender should take care that the email is to-the-point and courteous. The subject should be clearly stated so that the receiver knows at a glance what the email contains and that it is not junk or spam. Emails should not be lengthy or unnecessarily wordy since most people do not have the time or the inclination to go through lengthy emails. The sender should always properly sign and address the email. Long pages of unnecessary headers or unnecessary forwarded messages should be deleted to keep the email concise and to the point.
The Art of Gift-giving
Gift-giving is an art that must be practiced with due care. The intentions for giving the gift may be different for different people. But when giving a gift in a business environment, the manner of giving should not embarrass either party. One should also remember that in different cultures, gift-giving is practiced in different ways and one should learn the process of gift-giving in that particular culture beforehand. The gift should always be commensurate with the business occasion and the business associate.
Thanks and Recognition
Every person likes to have his work praised when it is due. Hence remembering to give credit where due is very important to boost employee morale. Good work should be recognized and rewarded if possible. Thanks and recognition should be offered in the hearing of other employees so that it imparts a feel-good feeling to the employee. When a team has done well, then every member of the team should be recognized for good work by the team leader, the head of the division and the CEO too, where applicable. In large organizations, such thanks and recognition should be posted on the Website of the organization and the office Notice Board. Such recognition reinforces positive behavior within the organization. Paying attention to offering due thanks and credit and giving it due importance can be the key to the success or failure of the project at hand.
Intercultural Communication
It should always be remembered that different things have different meanings across cultures. In intercultural communication in the workplace, this should always be borne in mind since today’s workplaces are often multi-cultural. When dealing with people from a conservative culture, one should not attempt to be too demonstrative in behavior and in such settings, normally a simple handshake will suffice while greeting the other person. An employee should also be careful with gestures and body language since they may mean different things in different cultures. A simple misunderstanding can result in the loss of good business for the organization.
Some rules for good business behavior
- Observing punctuality on all business occasions and meetings.
- Careful body language that imparts a good impression is essential.
- Always presenting a neat and well-groomed appearance.
- Remembering names of contacts helps to build up a potentially profitable contact list.
- Greetings and handshakes should always be in tune with the cultural environment.
- One should develop one’s listening skills and interpersonal skills to build good rapport with business associates.
- Courteousness, sensitivity and understanding towards other people make for a pleasant and productive workplace.
- Remembering to give credit where it is due. Thanks and recognition should always be offered where applicable to boost employee morale.
Conclusion
Ultimately good etiquette is good business. Good etiquette serves to build goodwill and is beneficial for developing good business. The guidelines for maintaining good etiquette are endless but this should not be a cause for intimidation. The golden rule to remember is that maintaining basic good manners and being courteous to all people at all times is the sure way to success for proper business etiquette. Good business etiquette helps in striking lucrative business deals and thus paves the way for profit maximization. A satisfied workforce improves productivity and profitability of the organization. In order to remain competitive and profitable, all organizations must stress the need for good business etiquette. Hence it is in the best interests of all organizations to impress upon their employees the necessity and utility of maintaining proper business etiquette.
References
Baldridge, Letitia. (2003). New Complete Guide to Executive Manners. New York: Simon & Schuster Inc
Gamonal, Paula. Business Etiquette - More Than Just Eating With the Right Fork. Retrieved on Apr 3, 2008, from