Given that The Potentiality team has deemed me the Etiquette and Australian Safety Correspondent, I thought it was about time I wrote a post on etiquette to counter the many posts I have written about Australian safety, which let’s face it, is a fairly niche area.
So, I thought I’d share some thoughts on office manners, which far from disappearing in to their predicted obsolesce, are actually making a comeback in the business world.
1. Hold the Door Open
When I was working at the highly regarded Sauder School of Business, I was consistently mortified at how many doors were slammed in my face by Vancouver’s future business leaders. I definitely don’t expect to have doors held open for me based on my gender, but I do expect it to happen based on my status as a fellow human being. It’s pretty easy to do a quick head-check to see if there’s anyone behind you before you swing the door like it’s an iron gate in a hurricane.
If we’re getting pedantic about it, the person who reaches the door first should open it and usher the person behind them through, and only then should they walk through themselves and shut (not slam) the door behind them. This kind of precision etiquette is clearly not going to happen when you’re in the bathroom line at the hockey, but there’s no reason why it shouldn’t happen in your workplace.
2. Be Punctual to Meetings
Quick tip: five minutes before the start time of your meeting is not the right time to print a copy of the 400 page tender document for each of the 12 meeting attendees. And the printer won’t print any quicker if you stand there looking at your watch and forcibly pulling out each sheet of paper as soon as it dares to poke an edge on to the feed tray.
Quite simply, being on time to meetings shows respect. Respect for the person who organized the meeting, respect for the attendees and respect for yourself. I guarantee that if you are always on time people will naturally assume they can count on you. Your boss and co-workers will think of you as a dependable person. Who do you think the boss will assign to handle the next important project? Not someone who is always late.
3. Keep the Kitchen Clean
If you are lucky enough to have a shared kitchen/meals area in your workplace, respect it. Do your dishes, clean up your spills and fill up anything you empty. It’s simple stuff, but it is truly incredible how many people have homes that look like Ikea catalogues, but leave the office kitchen looking like a war zone.
And by the way, trash goes in the trash can. Take a look around the kitchen and I’m confident you’ll find one. It’s the large container with the trash bag in it.