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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.

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