are business etiquette faux pas hurting morale and business?
DESCRIPTION
The apparent lack of business manners among some employees is enough to make Miss Manners ashamed. Here are a few office manners faux pas that might be hurting moral and business.TRANSCRIPT
Easy Small Business HR 1
Are Business Etiquette Faux Pas
Hurting Morale and Business?
Special Report From: EasySmallBusinessHR.com
A meeting interrupted by a Lady Gaga ringtone. An inappropriate
photo from the office holiday party posted on Facebook. A staff
member who celebrates “casual Friday” by wearing ripped jeans.
The apparent lack of business manners among some employees is
enough to make Miss Manners ashamed. Here are a few office
manners faux pas that might be hurting moral and business:
Cell phone manners –
For many businesses, mobile communication helps staff
members communicate efficiently and effectively. The
problem is that, for some employees, those ringing
devices take precedence over anything else that might
be going on. One way to combat electronic
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interruptions is to remind team members to turn off
ringers at the onset of a meeting.
Social network etiquette –
Some employees may not realize that what’s posted on
their personal social network profile may be seen by
others, including current and future employers, business
colleagues, vendors, or clients. Staff can protect
themselves by changing profile settings to a higher
protection level. That includes altering settings to
prevent friends from “tagging” the employee in a
compromising photo taken during a wild party.
Writing etiquette –
Many of us have become accustomed to using
acronyms and emoticons, especially in emails and text
messages. The challenge is that it’s not always
appropriate office behavior, regardless of whether the
message is intended for a colleague or a client.
Employees should send a professionally-appropriate
message by spelling out each word, using full
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sentences, and leaving the emoticons for personal
tweets. KWIM?
Appropriate clothing –
Wardrobes that are more akin to club night than “casual
dress” are another source of inappropriate office
behavior. T-shirts, worn jeans, and too-tight clothing
can make co-workers and customers feel
uncomfortable, which means that HR professionals may
need to craft wardrobe guidelines.
If employees are violating business etiquette on a regular basis,
does that mean you need to send them to manners school?
Well, experts say that business manners classes are increasingly
popular across all age groups.
Yet sending everyone to business etiquette camp may not be
practical for most firms. However you choose to handle it, whether
through classes or a company-wide policy, place the emphasis on
how good office manners help colleagues work together
comfortably.
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What’s more, note that appropriate office behavior presents a
professional image that helps build relationships with all
stakeholders, from the boss and the media to vendors and
customers.
Some managers may believe that their job is not to be the office
manners maven, yet when employees don’t play by good business
etiquette rules it can be bad for morale and bad for business. Start
considering whether simple business manners guidelines will help
your team be more cohesive and appear more like the savvy
professionals they are.