“If you want to change the way people respond to you, change the way you respond to people.” -Tom Leary
According to social media, 2017 will be a selfish year and people will be focusing on their interests and goals. Investing their energy on themselves, seems like it will be very bleak year for showing personal interest to others. But do we want to bring this new social norm into our workplace?
If we want to move ahead in our workplace, success lies with having good manners and showing respect to others around us. Let’s see some of the women’s workplace etiquette rules for 2017.
Avoid the Me-First Attitude
Social norms are constantly changing, some might help you succeed and others might sabotage your success. Throughout the ages, there is one type of etiquette that has never disappeared: showing respect for others and putting the interests of those around us in first place.
How can you show personal interest in your work place?
1. Punctuality: When we are late, we are basically telling the other person that we consider our time more valuable than theirs. Is that the impression we want to give to others about ourselves? At the Regus Company, welcoming offices spaces and virtual offices are offered which are so feature-rich, you wouldn’t want to be late to work.
Being punctual can actually help you succeed in the work place, as you will be considered to be dependable and competent, which might mean a higher salary in the future. This will certainly help you stand out from the crowd.
2. Watch your mouth: It has become common to hear derogatory, racist, foul-language or slang in our society, but there is no place for it in a professional atmosphere such as our work place.
Our speech defines us, so take the time to choose your words carefully. Taking into consideration that once we say something, either verbally or written, it is likened to squeezing toothpaste out of a tube, we can’t take it back.
Think before doing something, ask yourself: How will this affect those around me? Could it be misunderstood or could it offend someone? Remember your actions will have a direct result on how others will view you.
Practice Good Manners
Good manners never go out of style, but sadly they are hard to find in today’s society. You can make yourself stand out among your colleagues if you have good manners. Many employers say they are more likely to promote someone who has a high standard of professional behavior and etiquette.
How can you show good manners in your work place?
1. Bite your tongue: We all want to get our word in edgewise by offering our opinions or point of view but we need to avoid interrupting others mid-sentence. By interrupting someone, we are being rude and showing disrespect for the speaker. We need to learn to be assertive and not aggressive.
It can be difficult to resist the temptation to repeat some harmless gossip, but gossip is never harmless. Also, it makes you out to be a petty person who doesn’t respect the privacy of your co-workers. Nip gossip in the bud by not even listening to it.
2. Make your mother proud: Make it a habit by always saying thank you, welcome and sorry. Also, show good manners by holding the door or elevator open for someone, taking the initiative in shaking hands, look into their eyes when talking to someone and put your phone on silent when having a meeting or coffee with someone.
Look for ways to sincerely compliment those you work with, compliments have been likened to verbal sunshine. Good manners build strong relationships that are positive and your coworkers will normally talk positively about a well-mannered peer vs. a bad mannered one.
Build Healthy Personal Relations
By showing good etiquette you can actually contribute to the overall moral in the work place, making it a healthier environment to work in. Normally, when there are cutbacks, employers consult with human resources to find out who has been pulling their weight in the office. Normally, the slackers are the first ones to go.
How can you build healthy relations in your work place?
1. Be a team player: Nobody wants to be the office slacker. Many companies are short-staffed and everyone has a heavy workload. Don’t become a burden to your co-workers by slacking off, sending emails or answering text messages. Your co-workers will gladly tell human resources about your poor work ethnic to save their job.
Being a team player means helping others out when their workload gets bigger. Also, you are getting paid for providing a service; make sure you do what you are paid for and not making someone else do it for you.
Practicing good etiquette will change the way others view you and will help you get noticed in the work place. Make 2017 a year for showing personal interest in others, by investing your time and energy to practice these simple etiquette rules in your workplace.
