It's the manners, stupid
Aparna Kalra -
Wednesday, April 29, 2009 12:11 PM
Alerted via Twitter this morning on a lovely slide-show of U.S. President Obama's manners. Yes, he pulls-out chairs for lady heads of state, greets his guests -- usually presidents and princes -- by making strong eye-contact and even walks them to their cars.
Showing good manners on the job always works. Of course, a difficult thing to do if you don't have good manners to begin with. But, well, its never too late to learn. Here are tips I picked-up while working with a very diverse set of people in Mint, and my other jobs:
1. Greet people, especially lift men, security guards, canteen boys, cleaners. A namaste or a Hi is necessary. A little small talk won't do any harm. A former colleague, raised in the U.S., never failed to do small talk with lift and elevator operators.
2. Greet colleagues in corridors, near the coffee machine, near the photo-copier with a smile and a quick Hi. A "How are you doing" can be added.
3. Men: let ladies get out and into lifts and doors first. This is important no matter what positon you are in the company. Hold doors open. For an explanation of why, read the comments on the slide-show on Obama. Men and ladies both: don't get into lifts till all passengers are out, even if you are in a great rush.
4. Desk mates, don't creep into each other's space. If your chairs are close to each other, manoeuvre yours while getting up or sitting down to avoid hitting your neighbour's chair.
5. Don't stare at colleagues' computer screens or try to peek into their mail. It is intrusive.
6. Discussing the movie you watched yesterday while your desk mate is trying to beat a deadline is irritating.
7. My best interviews were those where editors walked me to the office door, stepping outside their cabin to do so. It sends a very strong message of sheer friendliness after a nerve-racking process.
Readers of this blog: my colleagues contributed to this post, by recalling what they find bad manners on the job. How about sending your favourite good/bad manners among your co-workers?