Understated Etiquette

Voice Mail

2010-08-11T23:42:00.000-05:00

After being in court all day, I came back to my desk and had ten voice mails to listen to. NINE of the ten were from the SAME person! The content of most of them was, "This is Jane Doe, I've been TRYING TO GET A HOLD OF YOU." Wow. Not necessary.

I wanted to call her back teach her some phone manners. Instead, I picked up the receiver and put on my smiling face - because smiling supports a pleasant tone in voice. I dialed. No answer! And no voice mail to leave a message on! Oh well. I am sure she will call back! :)

Cubicle Neighbors

2010-08-09T22:27:00.002-05:00

Being neighborly and polite in a cubicle setting is important in order to have a pleasant, inviting, and efficient work environment. It is very easy to get on each others' nerves while working so closely to one another daily. Exercising workplace etiquette will make you a likable co-worker and employee. It will earn you respect, and others will also practice good cubicle manners in return.

From: http://www.squidoo.com/cubiclefarm-k8

Ways to be a good Cubicle Neighbor:

- Start the day off on a positive note. Greet your cubicle neighbors with a friendly "Good Morning" when you get into work. Greet each one by name to give them personal attention. Make sure you don't skip anyone!

- Be neighborly and share. Bring in some homemade baked goods or fresh vegetables from your garden to share occasionally. Everyone loves free food, and your co-workers will appreciate the nice gesture. This fosters reciprocal behavior, plus it lets your co-workers get to know you better because you get to show off your talents.

- Be respectful and never burn bridges. Think before you speak. Remember, this person is STILL going to be your cubicle neighbor tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day...

- Please knock. Sure, it's a cubicle and there may not be an actual door, but it doesn't mean that you should just waltz right into a co-worker's personal space. Give a little knock on the side of the cubical or say something to get the person's attention so that you don't throw them off guard. It is especially rude to walk right in and interrupt them if they are in the middle of something.

- Say your pleases and thank yous. Show your appreciation to a co-worker who extends a courtesy to you. If they pull a huge favor for you like cover something important while you're sick or trade days off with you, a thank you note or a small token of appreciation may be in order - maybe bring them a coffee from Starbucks the next morning or make sure you return the favor later.

- Worry about yourself. No one likes a tattle tale.

From: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/scott-adams-hands-dilbert-pen-to-fans/

Bad Cubicle Manners - Things NOT to Do:

- DON'T burn candles in your cubicle. The scent will travel, and not everyone likes the same fragrances. I once had a cubical neighbor who burned the same candle everyday, and it gave me a headache! She never asked if any of the rest of us were okay with the scent. Not cool.

- DON'T break into song or skat at a loud decibel. It's distracting to others, especially if you're tone deaf. Plus, it's just weird.

- On that note, DON'T play any music too loudly at your desk. If others can hear it, it's too loud. Not everyone shares your taste in genre, and some people need to work in peace. If you must listen to music, bring your iPod to work or use headphones, but again, don't sing aloud with it.

- DON'T use your speakerphone. You're in a cubicle. Everyone can hear you.

- Keep personal matters private. Remember, just because there are "walls" doesn't mean there is privacy in the cubical area. DON'T desperately ask your grandmother for money over the phone when you work in a cubicle. (Yes, that really happens at my friend's workplace.) No one cares what you had for breakfast, lunch and dinner in minute detail, and no one wants to listen to you scold your kids because they call you every ten minutes while they're on summer break.

- If you do run into conflict in the cubical area, NEVER make rude personal remarks.

Now please comment and tell me about your pet peeves in the workplace or about the annoying things your cubicle neighbors do!

DirecTV: NFL Sunday Ticket - Cheeseheads

2010-08-08T12:51:00.003-05:00

Rudeness With a Smile

2010-08-08T11:09:00.001-05:00

Last week, my husband and I went to Pottery Barn with a few goals to accomplish. We waited patiently in line for assistance from an associate. While we were in the middle of our transaction (returning, exchanging, and purchasing), and right as I was telling the associate the number of Great White Cereal Bowls and Great White Soup Bowls we needed from the stock room, a woman in her mid-fifties came right up to my husband's side and interrupted! "What is the percentage off on these linens?" she asked, with a warm smile on her face. The sales associate stopped just as she was about to call the stock room to bring our dishes up to ask the woman to repeat the question. "I think these linens are supposed to be on sale, but I need to know what the percentage off is," she said, as my husband and I just stood there. The associate very politely answered, "I'm sorry ma'am, but I don't know off the top of my head for those specific linens." "Well, I can show you where they are," the woman said, as if the associate was going to just leave us in the middle of our transaction to go assist her. "I'm sorry, but it will be a minute before I can come help you, but if you'd like, I can see if I can call someone else to come up here." The woman then looked at me and my husband, again with a warm smile on her face but in a very rude tone, "Oh, I understand, you're busy," as if my husband and I were taking time away from her own personal sale's associate!

This woman had walked right up to the counter, interrupted, but acted as if it was acceptable to do that because she did it with a smile on her face. I'm sorry, but rudeness with a smile does not make it polite!

Needless to say, the sale's associate apologized for the other customer's behavior and for our wait -- not her fault, but we thoroughly appreciated her gesture. And, we did end up walking out of the store with the rest of the dishes we needed to complete our set. Check out our new soup and cereal bowls!

Etiquette. The New Black.

2010-08-07T11:09:00.002-05:00

Is etiquette a thing of the past? Are good manners and social propriety not important anymore? I ask myself these questions daily it seems -- after someone cuts me off in traffic, when someone who didn't "R.S.V.P." shows up anyway, or when the person in the back of the elevator forces her way off without saying, "Excuse me, please." I think to myself, "Why are people SO RUDE?"

Maybe etiquette went out of style for awhile. It used to be a code of conduct that ladies and gentlemen vested heavily in. Etiquette guided social behavior and how one was supposed to act.

Today, etiquette has become understated. Good manners are often unappreciated and politeness undervalued. Expectations have changed as our culture becomes more and more complex. But, "understated" does not have to be viewed as negative -- understated is classic, elegant, and refined. Understated is simple. It's like the Little Black Dress - it always looks good.

Society has changed, and contemporary etiquette is practiced only by an exclusive club - the stylish and chic. Some may think that etiquette is old-fashioned. I disagree. I say that etiquette is classy. Etiquette is elegant. Etiquette is making a come-back. Etiquette is The New Black.