These Simple Manners Will Take You Far In Your Career

Office Etiquette Tips
Friendliness
No one expects you to have a smile plastered on your face all day, but an ounce of friendliness will open some doors to communication.

Ignoring people or being grumpy might throw a wrench into a team project or give others the impression you aren’t interested in working with them.

Quick and easy ways to exhibit friendliness in the office:

• Start out the day with a quick greeting. The person in the next cubicle will appreciate a smile to start the day.

• Shake hands and introduce yourself to anyone you don’t know.
• Ask the others how they are.

Staying Connected
Keep in mind that there is a fine line between being connected and “in the loop” and getting involved in petty office gossip. It’s always a good idea to be in the know, but be careful about spreading information you are unsure of or listening to something that you suspect may not be true.

When you hear a new buzz in your office, pay attention, but don’t accept it as truth until it comes from one of the higher-ups. Office chatter often starts out as office cooler chatter filled with what-ifs and may not be true. If what you hear is something that affects you or your job, ask your supervisor if there is anything new that you need to know about. Avoid mentioning the gossip, or your boss may think you are in on it.

Interruptions
Interruptions are likely to happen throughout the day in most offices, so it’s a good idea to learn how to deal with them. You need to first evaluate the urgency and deal with what is most important first.

Here are some ways to handle interruptions:

• If your cell phone rings during a meeting, shut it off without looking at it unless you have a very good reason to check it. If that’s the case, make sure the person leading the meeting knows beforehand.
• When someone walks up to you while you are in the middle of a task, let the person know you are busy. If the interruption is critical, deal with it as quickly as possible. In the future, let others know that you are only to be interrupted when there is an emergency that requires immediate attention.
• Never interrupt anyone else with something that can be handled through email or at a later time.

Unless you work alone and never interact with anyone during your workday, you will have to deal with office politics. It doesn’t have to be negative. Keep in mind that everyone in your office is working toward a common goal: the success of your company.

Ways to make office politics work for you:

• Offer to serve on committees, even when you can’t be in charge. This shows your willingness and ability to be a team player.
• Never be late for a meeting.
• Even if someone has messed up, never throw him or her under the bus. If you have a gripe or suggestion, do it privately and without an army behind you. There may be a time when you need that person’s cooperation, and you don’t want to alienate your coworkers, mistakes need to be handled with tact and discretion.
• Remember to give praise where it is due. Implementing someone else’s idea is fine as long as you don’t try to get credit for it. That person will remember what you do in the future.

• When people are promoted, avoid pettiness that can happen by feeling as though he or she didn’t deserve it. Jealousy is never attractive. Be positive and maybe next time you’ll be the one with the promotion.

Communication
An team of employees is only as good as the communication among the members, so make sure you keep everyone in the loop about anything that concerns them. The easiest way to ensure no one gets left out is to set up an email loop that includes everyone. Follow up every meeting with a recap that get sent to the loop.

Additional tips to keep communication open:

• Have an out-of-office message set up on your email and voicemail.
• When you send an email, get to the point as quickly as possible. Rather than list dozens of key points in one long email (unless it is a recap of a meeting), address each issue separately.
• If you are ever unclear about a point, state it to the group. You may not be the only person who doesn’t understand something.
• If there is a conflict, try to settle it privately. However, if the entire group is involved, you may need to bring in a third party mediator to prevent the dissention from escalating.
• Never state an opinion about anyone to the group. This can be the start