The Importance of Business Etiquette

Etiquette is such an incredibly important area. Gone are the days where a technically brilliant employee can get by being grumpy or non-communicative, simply riding on his or her competency coat tails. Businesses are becoming more and more aware of the necessity of a "culture fit" when employing staff. The recession has left many organisations with their key staff only - and everyone is under pressure to do more, with fewer resources and in less time. The last thing an employer wants is to upset the apple cart by having a disruptive or unpleasant element demotivating this essential and critical employee pool.

I feel there are many reasons for the current chasm between acceptable and unacceptable business or office etiquette. I will list these briefly below - feel free to ask me for more information if you need to:

1. Young school leavers and university students entering the workplace for the first time have not been exposed to the amount of guidance traditionally experienced by the younger generation. In the average family these days, both parents work long days and don't have the same amount of time and energy to guide, train, educate and influence their children. Kids are influenced heavily by television (mostly American), their peers and how they see the world around them behaving. I remember as a child having parents who were resolute on the essentials of social etiquette - we ate together at the dinner table every night and breakfasted together every morning. Table manners were drummed in before I could even hold my cutlery properly! These days, many kids eat on the run - and don't have the formal dining experience many of us were fortunate to have as youngsters. Socially you were expected to treat visitors with respect, you dressed up for dinner parties and functions and you made very, very sure you remembered your "P"s and "Q"s, lest you embarrassed your parents - which I was lead to believe is a fate worse than death!

2. Culturally, South Africa is a vast melting pot. What one culture perceives as respect, another perceives as a slight. It is an awareness of these differences in cultural behaviour that will alleviate many perceptions of etiquette faux pas. By understanding the "default" etiquette of the various cultures you come across in a business environment, you will see that the behaviour you questioned is in fact not an etiquette issue - but an understanding one. Eye contact, personal space, timing are but a few issues to consider here. This is not to say that standard business etiquette norms cannot be adhered to. There are many published etiquette rules that we all have access to, and in reality, should adhere to.

Things like:  

- Dressing appropriately for the office, for the office party and for the lunch / dinner meetings with clients etc. It is never ok to show cleavage or underwear. Save this for the nightclubs. Sadly, this is now an issue for women AND men!

- Personal hygiene - there really is no excuse for lapses here

- Courtesy, empathy and discretion - understanding that everything you say impacts those around you. Word, tone, facial expression and body language choices are key in the workplace. Remember it is NEVER only what you say. It is how you say it - and to whom you say it. This brings up the topic of discretion. It really is the better part of valour. Don't run your company down. Don't spread rumours or indulge in gossip. Remember - everything you say or do impacts your own personal brand - and gossips are traditionally untrustworthy and disloyal. Would you hire you??

- Time keeping - the working day starts at 8am and finishes at 5pm (in general) this does not mean you walk in at 8 and out at 5. This means you arrive before 8, and are at your desk ready to start by 8. Similarly, you finish your work and close down your PC at 5 - not 4.45 and twiddle your thumbs waiting for the home time gong!!

- Communication - yes, we all understand that the age of Instant Messaging, BBM's, SMS's, Teets, WhatsApps and Skype are here. We know that in the interests of brevity and the avoidance of "Repetitive Strain Injury" on our digits that acronyms are acceptable between friends and family. This does not mean you can use these acronyms, or slang, or heaven forbid profanities in the workplace. DO NOT tell me you need me to work late "2nite". DO NOT send your boss a "LAFAO" when he/she asks you to take on extra projects and for pity sake, please do not send your clients smiley faces, religious quotes, XOXOX's or anything else that may, on some level, offend them!

- Drama Queens - we all know of at least one! They're the ones who shout and scream. They make their problems yours. Their mood affects the office and become pervasive. Their behaviour reflects a complete disregard for those around them. The office DOES NOT need to know all of your personal challenges. That is for your friends and family. Not the office environment. You need to have control of your emotions. Highly emotional colleagues are often viewed as time bombs - and who (in their right mind) wants an explosive device next to key staff members, suppliers or clients??

3. Nerves! Believe it or not, anxiety is a major cause of etiquette mishaps. It is so easy when you are anxious to blurt out something inappropriate! Many people feel awkward when there is a silence and feel compelled to fill it. 9 times out of 10, this is going to result in a random statement - or worse, an ill-thought out statement that causes offence. When in doubt, try the strong silent approach! Networking skills are a good way of overcoming this sort of eventuality. Learning conversation ice-breakers, how to make polite small talk and to politely end a conversation are all skills that can be learnt and perfected.

4. Arrogance. This is probably my biggest bug-bear. Unfortunately arrogance is not exclusively South Africa. It is prevalent more and more - and unfortunately the higher up you climb the corporate ladder. It would appear that "on the way up" it is ok to step on toes, treat sub-ordinates with disdain and disregard common courtesy. It is only "on the way down" that these skills become necessary and perfected! Sad - but true. As business professionals, we all need to respect each other - and our contributions. We need to work like we want to - not because we need to, and value the input of others. Personally I see no excuse for arrogance. I have had the pleasure of working with some of South Africa's top celebrities, business executives and consultants. A trait I find most admirable, and most prevalent "at the top" is humility. An understanding of the uniqueness of each individual. I think this simple belief would go a long, long way to easing workplace disruption.