A client just asked if I could deliver a 1/2 day training program on business etiquette for a New York audience. Business etiquette is about how we behave at work. I jotted down some business etiquette tips which will work in NY. Let me know if you have more to add to the list.
Dress appropriately. Limit the amount of perfume your wear. No one wants to smell you from across the hall
Learn how to shake hands.
Welcome outsiders with a warm smile.
Use good manners; say good morning, please and thank you.
Be on time.
Take care of your family matters in a way that you can focus on your job when you are at work.
Develop time management skills.
Communication
Treat others with respect.
Learn how to start a conversation.
Don’t gossip. Keep your personal thoughts and opinions to yourself. You are there to perform a job, not to offer comments about other people.
Communicate in a positive manner. Do not curse or tell inappropriate jokes.
Refer to people by their name. Learn the proper way to pronounce a name.
Keep your personal conversations private.
Never, ever raise your voice.
Learn active listening skills. Don’t interrupt or finish another person’s sentence.
Don’t talk with your mouth full or answer the phone while chewing.
Make proper introductions. The proper way to make an introduction is to introduce a lower-ranking person to a higher-ranking person.
Email Etiquette
Don’t surf the web, pay your bills or chat with your girlfriend on your employer’s time.
DO NOT send an email if you are angry. Take a deep breath and think about how to send a professional email.
Pay attention to your cc list.
Use proper grammar and spelling.
Mobile Manners
Turn your personal cell phone ringer off during work hours, use your work phone.
Move away from others when you are having a personal conversation.
Turn your cell phone off during special events. (wedding ceremony, church, parent teacher conference)
Do not talk or text while driving.
Give the person in front of you more respect than the person on the phone.
Work Environment
Keep your work area neat, clean and well organized. Limit the amount of personal “stuff” surrounding your work area.
Keep your food in the kitchen and don’t help yourself to someone else’s food no matter how good it looks.
Pay attention to and be respectful of each other’s time. (lunch, breaks)
Limit your personal fundraising in the office. Just because your daughter is selling Girl Scout cookies doesn’t mean everyone wants to buy some.
Social Functions/Holidays
Don’t get drunk and/or wear provocative clothing at the holiday party.
Don’t order the most expensive item on the menu. Follow your host.
Don’t eat all you can eat if you go to an all you can eat buffet.
Send a hand written thank you note.
Follow the holiday traditions in the office as long as the traditions are reasonable.
If you include your spouse during a business situation, make sure your spouse is comfortable.