Manners at Work – Why Etiquette Matters

Acting professionally at work is vital for many reasons - and it can also give you a real competitive advantage when the time comes for promotions or pay rises.

Naturally, treating others as you would like to be treated yourself is a pretty good rule of thumb for most situations in life - as well as at work.

However, you might be surprised at how many people are unaware of the effect their bad habits at work can have on others.

As leadership expert Rachel Salaman explains in a recent MindTools article, you might be annoying your co-workers in a number of ways without even realising it.

One good way to find out if you are lacking etiquette at work is to do a quick ‘reality check’ on yourself.

For example, Salaman suggests, ask yourself if you have an unusually loud voice when on the phone - or is there anything on your desk or in your office that might be offensive or troubling to other people?

If a staff member is constantly bothering others by making loud or sensitive calls, it might be a good idea for the manager to consider introducing some guidelines.

This could involve providing a more private space for that person to make their calls.

Acting professionally and with etiquette also involves many other factors, including the ability to stay work-focused.

Spending excessive time on social media or personal emails is a definite‘no-no’ - as is making extensive private telephone calls at work.

Of course, when you are a leader, communicating effectively goes hand in hand with treating your staff with courtesy.

And if your staff are disorganised or communicating poorly, this can reflect very badly on your business.

Therefore, it is important your co-workers know exactly what you are working on, and what is expected of them on team projects.

Another important area of etiquette is staying clear of office dramas and gossip.

By showing you have no interest in rumours and innuendo around the office you not only help stop it at the source - but also emerge from the situation looking much more professional.

Staying out of such dramas also helps improve office productivity and makes for a happier and less confrontational workplace.

Treating your staff with respect and courtesy is contagious and will nearly always lead to reciprocal behaviour.

This is also true of working as a team - which produces much better results than trying to go it alone.

In a recent article on lifehack.org, business analyst Ben Brumm outlines some other important areas of etiquette at work.

These include:

1. Keep your mobile on silent or vibrate when in the office

Your ringtone may sound great to you but others may be annoyed by it.

2. Use a professional email signature

Your email signature is a sign of your professionalism and should have your name, position, company, and contact details such as email and phone numbers

3. Have a professional phone greeting

When answering the phone at work mention your name and possibly your area of work in order to create a good impression on the call.

 Being professional at work is not just about arriving on time and dressing appropriately.

It also means being polite and using good manners when dealing with co-workers, supervisors and customers; all of which leads to a much more positive end result.