In any professional setting, conduct and behavior matter as much as work quality and efficiency. Office etiquette isn’t just an optional skill you take on to get extra perks or incentives. While it might seem like a minor, often unsaid point in your job description, it’s a critical part of professional success.
Knowing the dos and don’ts of workplace etiquette can boost your professional growth and much more. It can help nurture a healthy culture, improve interpersonal relationships within the workplace and cultivate a positive and supportive professional environment. In this article, discover key aspects of office etiquette—from why it’s important to what it’s all about to how it can be taught.
What Is Workplace Etiquette and Why Is It Important?
Office etiquette, or workplace etiquette, is the set of behaviors that shapes how you show up, present yourself and interact with others in the workplace.
From the way you carry yourself to how you talk to your colleagues, juniors, bosses and clients to even your eating habits—the smallest details can play a part in shaping others’ perceptions about you. Adhering to proper etiquette ensures that this perception is generally positive. However, this is just one reason office etiquette matters.
Why Is Etiquette Important In The Workplace?
Good office etiquette includes being polite and kind and can help build a workplace where a healthy culture and professional relationships thrive. Let’s look at some of the ways good office etiquette can have a positive impact:
1. Better Collaboration
Collaboration and teamwork are essential in any workplace. When everyone respects and values one another, it can improve how people work together. Good professional conduct ensures that everyone is aligned when it comes to collective efforts and advancing the company’s goals.
2. Improved Communication
Much of workplace etiquette involves effective communication. A space where people can express themselves and understand others properly is a positive haven. It can help prevent and resolve conflicts, helping team members grow together as a workforce.
3. Stronger Relationships
How you behave and interact with your colleagues and others in the office can shape your professional life. When you treat others with respect, listen to their ideas, help them with genuine efforts or even greet them with a smile, you strengthen your professional relationships. These relationships are pivotal to thriving in the workplace.
4. Professional Growth
Adhering to work etiquette helps make you a supportive team member, effective communicator, reliable colleague and good employee. All of this helps create your professional image. Coupled with your performance, a positive professional image could help you grow in your career.
5. Building Brand Reputation
If you’re in a client- or customer-facing department in your organization, following office etiquette rules can also help build a strong brand image. For clients and customers, every employee is a face of the company. As a result, how you behave with clients and customers directly shapes their image of your company.
Essential Dos of Office Manners and Etiquette
Here are some important office etiquette rules that you should follow to maintain professionalism in the workplace:
1. Be Punctual
Etiquette begins the moment you arrive at your workplace. Arriving on time is one of the most important ways to show professionalism and respect for your work. Try to consistently arrive on time or early at the office or meetings. It’s also key to inform as soon as possible if you’re going to be late.
2. Be Well-Dressed and Well-Groomed
If your office requires you to dress a certain way, it’s a sign of professionalism to follow the guidelines. However, not every office has a dress code. As a general rule, make sure you dress in a neat fashion, have good hygienic practices, take care of your hair and nails and try to have good posture. If you have a beard, keep it trimmed or shaven. Keep makeup professional (don’t overdo it) and avoid strong perfumes or colognes.
3. Keep Conversations Professional
It’s common, and potentially beneficial for mental health, to have friends at work. However, it’s also important to keep your conversations as professional as possible during working hours. While it’s okay to discuss things like birthdays or weekend plans with your office friends, these discussions shouldn’t interfere with your professional commitments. Try to keep non-work talks to a minimum, opting to save them for breaks and after work hours.
4. Treat Everyone With Respect and Kindness
Everyone deserves respect and kindness; good etiquette means offering these things to others. Treat everyone with professional respect, regardless of their position in the office. This includes:
- Talking politely
- Not being too loud
- Maintaining a professional tone
- Addressing differences and conflicts respectfully
- Listening to others’ concerns and differing POVs patiently
Put simply, respect everyone and show that respect via your words and actions.
5. Respect Others’ Personal Space (and Protect Yours)
Respecting others’ personal space in the office is crucial if you want people to trust and respect you in return. Practical ways to do this at work include the following:
- Knock or ask before entering someone’s cabin or space
- Avoid eavesdropping on others’ phone calls and conversations
- Avoid looking at someone’s screen or documents
- Avoid prying into personal matters
- Ask for permission before asking for personal info
It’s also important to protect your own personal space. Set clear boundaries, clearly communicate when you are not comfortable, and avoid oversharing personal matters with colleagues.
6. Give Credit Where It’s Due
Teamwork is an indispensable part of any workplace, and every team member deserves credit for their contributions. If you are the leader of a group project, it’s your responsibility to ensure every member gets the credit for their part. This is part of not just etiquette, but also ethics. It can help build trust and cooperation among coworkers.
7. Communicate Actively and Clearly
Communication is a central ingredient in any relationship and can be critical at work. What you communicate, how you communicate, and how often you communicate are all important factors in developing good workplace relationships. When it comes to matters in the office, follow these etiquette tips on communication to ensure clear, accurate discussions:
- Listen carefully to others during meetings and discussions.
- Voice your disagreements clearly and respectfully.
- Offer positive feedback to others for their work.
- Ask for feedback regularly.
From strengthening your relationships to resolving conflicts, effective workplace communication can help you in many ways.
8. Keep Work Areas Neat and Use Courtesy in Public Spaces
An organized workspace is another aspect of good office etiquette, so make sure your desk or office is clean and in order. It’s also important to be mindful of public spaces at work and respectful of others in these areas. To help keep things neat and tidy, try the following tips:
- Declutter your desk and shelves regularly.
- Wash your hands thoroughly before and after lunch.
- Wash your hands after coughing or sneezing.
- Keep shared spaces like restrooms and meeting rooms clean.
- Avoid bringing strong-smelling food into a shared eating space.
9. Follow Meeting Etiquette
Office meetings are like mini get-togethers, albeit with a fixed professional agenda. And like any other part of the workday, it’s essential to follow good etiquette in meetings. While that begins with being punctual, it can also include:
- Listening actively to the speaker
- Coming well-prepared for the meeting agenda
- Making eye contact with the speaker/listeners
- Not using your cellphone during meetings
- In virtual meetings, mute your mic when you’re not speaking.
If you have a habit of dozing off during meetings, a cup of espresso before a meeting might be a great idea.
10. Be Prompt With Office Emails and Calls
Try your best to reply to emails that need a reply within the standard 24-hour timeline unless it’s a holiday. If an email looks as though it may require a longer or more thorough response, you can reply with an estimated time to keep the other person in the loop.
The same goes for calls. While it’s common practice to let them go to voicemail, try not to make it a habit. As a general rule, it’s best to attend to them right away, especially if you’re already available. Being prompt with emails and calls this way reflects the importance you give to your work.
Common Don’ts of Office Manners and Etiquette
Knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing what to do. While you follow office etiquette rules, steer clear of the following red flags:
1. Gossiping
Office gossip isn’t always bad. In fact, one recent study found that positive workplace gossip may actually improve mental health in some individuals. However, negative gossip is something you should avoid at all times.
Whether it’s about your boss or a colleague, negative gossip is more than just unprofessional; it can erode mutual trust and relationships once the gossip reaches its subject. (And oftentimes, it does.) What’s more, research suggests that negative office gossip can reduce work performance, proactive work behavior and self-esteem in employees.
2. Interrupting Others
As much as it’s essential to actively communicate in the workplace, it’s just as important to let others speak. Interrupting someone while they are talking can seem inconsiderate and disrespectful, so try to avoid it as much as you can. It’s natural to get excited about sharing something you might be excited about, but it’s best to listen to their side properly before.
3. Using Objectionable Language
This one goes without saying. Your office is where people of different ages, backgrounds and values come together, so keep your language suited to everyone unless you are talking with someone in private.
4. Bringing Personal Grudges to the Office
It’s not something you hear often, but it’s a very important rule of professional etiquette: Leave your personal grudges outside when you enter your office. Whether you have had an argument with one of your colleagues or gotten friend-zoned by your office crush, don’t let personal issues affect you and others in the workplace.
5. Coming To Work Sick
Your dedication and discipline are commendable, but it’s best to let them rest with you when you fall ill. Coming to the office sick not only affects your own health but may also put others at risk. It’s important to take care of yourself and your colleagues by staying home while you’re sick.
Office Etiquette Training: A Step Toward Professional Growth
Many workplace etiquette rules we just discussed might seem like common sense. But alas, common sense is subjective, and maintaining order requires effort. This is why it’s important to train employees on office etiquette rules.
If you are an employer concerned about adequate etiquette in your workplace, here are some tips to consider:
1. Offer Training Programs
According to a 2023 survey by Resume Builder, 60% of employers either offered office etiquette classes or planned to do so by 2024. You can make this training part of the onboarding process for all new employees in your company. This way, new hires can learn about etiquette rules from the beginning and build on them as they grow.
2. Include Office Etiquette Rules in the Employee Handbook
The employee handbook is one of the best official resources for employees to learn about the company values and culture. Accordingly, it can be a good practice to add office etiquette guidelines to the handbook.
3. Put Up Signs and Labels In the Workplace
Many etiquette rules, such as the ones about dress code, cleanliness and hygiene, can be put up using signs throughout the workplace. They may include:
- Encouraging messages to help maintain cleanliness in shared spaces
- “Knock before entering” signs outside offices
- Dress code rules outside the co-working area
- “Wash your dishes” and “Don’t litter” signs in the break area
- Meeting etiquette rules or signs outside and within meeting rooms
Mastering Office Etiquette for Success in the Workplace
For most of us, the workplace is the most important place after home. Understanding and practicing good professional etiquette in the workplace is hence just as important as the work itself. So, while you try to do your best in the office every day, also try to follow your workplace norms at all times.
The guidelines we’ve just discussed will help you be a professional, respectful and reliable team member at work. Make these habits part of your conduct, and you’ll gradually see the far-reaching effects of mastering office etiquette in your professional relationships and career.
Photo from Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com
