Last updated on March 29th, 2024 at 09:34 am
The 5 secrets of workplace etiquette
Etiquette Background
There are many ways of greeting each other respectfully at work. Americans will shake hands, the Japanese will bend forward, Indians join both hands, and Eskimos will rub noses!
Not surprising that these simple acts of goodwill may have unintended consequences in workplaces that follow a certain etiquette - rules of communication and interaction in a civilized manner. Let us first delve into the state of the industry before we discuss etiquette in its workplaces.
State of the industry
In 2022, post vaccinations, the world seems to be gradually returning to a hybrid workplace after the prolonged global turmoil caused by the pandemic. Everyone across the industry seems to be in transition, given that the impact of the pandemic and the stage of recovery varies significantly across different industry sectors.
Impact on global organizations
Irrespective, some of these transitions seem likely to be permanent changes in states across all industries:
- Workplaces are transitioning from full-time offices to a hybrid combination of offline (work from the office) and online (work from home), substantiated by a curated remote work survey
- Employees are transitioning through a spur in attrition coupled with a changing workplace that emphasizes diversity, equity, and inclusiveness, and re-defining workplace etiquette standards
- Customers are transitioning to the virtual world of consumption as reflected in the spurt of digital transactions on telemedicine, streaming entertainment, education, corporate development and training, food delivery, and more
Organizations already adapting to technology and automation disruptions are now required to accelerate their pace of adaptation, especially for employees, by prioritizing and implementing the best corporate training programs.
How we help
We imbibe five secrets of workplace etiquette into all our training programs for finance, analytics, technology, or marketing.
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Self-Discipline
Workplaces involve people working together towards common goals by investing time, effort, and money. Charity begins at home. When every employee is self-disciplined, it adds value to improvements in employee productivity, organization efficiency, and effectiveness.
Examples:
- Reporting to work on time, prepared with an action plan of to-do's
- Preparing well and in time for internal and external meetings
- Being well-organized about work desk items, computer data, calendar schedules, points of discussion, and other responsibilities
- Making and maintaining a clean, uncluttered work desk at all times
- Elegant Demeanour
It is all about being courteous, humble, empathetic, trustworthy, and respectful at your workplace. The secret lies in visualizing yourself from the eyes of others and validating if:
- Your attire is apt for formal, semi-formal, and informal occasions
- Your body language, odour, and actions are suitable
- You are taking good care of people visiting you or your colleagues
- You are not using foul language, slang, or cuss words
- Effective Communication
An organization's success relies significantly on effective communication and collaboration between people - within internal functions or with external customers, partners, and suppliers. Examples:
- Remembering the names and greeting/introducing people appropriately
- During meetings, keep your mobile ringer silent, listen attentively without interrupting and have your say subsequently
- Hearing out people patiently if you tend to disagree and inviting them to reflect on a different (your) point of view
- Writing letters and emails that are crisp, well-articulated, polite as well as checked for grammar and spelling
- Excusing yourself out of a conversation when required politely
- Proactive Participation
Etiquette associated with team success is about being meaningfully cooperative, proactively participative, and innovative. After all, workplaces are grounds for teamwork and team play! "If you want to run fast, run alone. If you want to run far, run together." This African proverb captures the essence of this workplace etiquette.
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Policy Adherence
To be fully aware of the workplace rules, policies, ethical and moral standards, and corporate values and make conscious efforts to adhere to them. It gives a lot of credibility and character to an organization that follows its policies.
Why choose us?
Global organizations have trusted Imarticus Learning to customize training programs tailored for every organization's needs. They are delivered engagingly by industry experts using content packed with knowledge. We use an experiential methodology to implement training. Our training outcomes are measurable and bring impact to make your organization future-ready. We are a name that has been trusted world-over by hundreds of organizations.
Conclusion
"There is no accomplishment so easy to acquire as politeness, and none more profitable." - George Bernard Shaw.
At Imarticus Learning, the essence of this quote is often a part of our Corporate Management Training. It captures the opportunity of developing workplace etiquette, whose absence can cause harm to everything from employee career to business performance.
Everyone in an organization must embrace the five secrets of workplace etiquette. Hi, five!
