The Right Etiquette in the Office

Kate Seidametova is an internationally recognised careers guidance guru. She says: “Acting professionally at work is an important part of any corporate or work environment. It is also important for your professional and career growth. Most executive managers agree: professional behaviour and attitudes often play an important role in who gets hired and promoted, well as in who gets fired or demoted. If you want to have a successful career, you must know how to act professionally.”

The difficulty is in working out exactly what ‘professional behaviour’ is. Different working environments, different management structures and indeed the nature and style of individual relationships in the workplace all impact upon what kind of behaviour crosses the line.

“The trouble is that most of us so-called professionals often behave unprofessionally at work without even noticing it,” says Ms Seidametova. “For example, it is great to be super-friendly with your boss, joking around the office, playing practical jokes on your co-workers, etc. Your boss may even think that you are the coolest guy/gal they have ever met. However, would they also think that you can be serious enough to handle an important task when it comes to that promotion you’ve been hoping for? Would they take you seriously?”

So what can you do? Try observing your own behaviour as you interact with your colleagues and your manager. Make sure that you are not guilty of any unprofessional habits and if you are, try adjusting your behaviour. Specifically, try to avoid the following mistakes that many employees often make:

• Arguing or engaging in an open conflict with a colleague. Disagreeing is one thing but do it respectfully and politely and don’t cross the line. Use good judgment and watch your manners.
• Dressing “too casually”. If you come to work sloppily dressed your looks will portray an image of a disorganised and messy worker. Dress professionally, especially if you your manager is on a conservative side.
• Making comments or jokes that could be offensive to others. Always avoid references to anyone’s personal characteristics such as nationality, race, gender, appearance or religious beliefs at work.
• Raising your voice or acting on emotions. If you’re an emotional person, try to take a break and calm down before an important conversation. People often do and say things driven by a spur of the moment situation that they later regret.
• Lying. Being deceitful or dishonest will tarnish your reputation for life if you get caught. It is just not worth it.
• Acting as if you are superior to others. Showing your own self-importance or judging others is not a good idea. Professional behaviour is never having a need to prove that you are superior to anyone else.

These pointers may seem obvious, but if you’re in a new work environment where you’re trying to create a good impression, you may be feeling a little uncertain. That can prompt you into doing and saying things that you might not do normally, so it pays to be careful.

Getting an initial reputation as someone who is fairly quiet but works hard and delivers the goods is not a bad place to start. Save the camaraderie for social occasions and give colleagues time to become accustomed to the newcomer before you begin to form friendships.

Don’t fall into the dangerous trap of trying to prove yourself to be a fascinating, chatty, social individual who dislikes the management in the company as much as all the old hands do. Remember, you are the blow-in and it’s you who will need to build trust and confidence among colleagues.

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