Nine business etiquette mistakes you don’t know you are making
Even if you’re using the phone for work, you risk making it look as though you are distracted
Navigating social etiquette is part of everyday life. But in business, avoiding faux pas can be even more important. Here, BlueGlass’s Irmahunkeler highlights the business etiquette mistakes you could be guilty of making.
In the world of business, etiquette is crucial. Knowing how to behave in an important meeting ensures you don’t put any noses out of joint and make yourself look more than a little foolish. But an etiquette faux pas can have much more serious implications.
Significant social slips that unwittingly cause offence can have big knock-on effects: the failure to close a deal, say, or the diminishing of a previously strong business relationship.
We are often told that manners cost nothing, yet time and time again even the most experienced of businesspeople trip up when it comes to etiquette from something that’s banal to something that could cause gross offence.
To ensure this doesnt happen to you, here are nine business etiquette mistakes you don’t know you are making that you can quickly remedy.
Being good at broad-brush, but bad at detail
If you think going into a meeting with a couple of headline statements will suffice, think again. According to this global etiquette guide from travel experts Expedia, not being able to back-up any claims with facts and figures is often a big no-no.
Ensure you’re primed with all the information you need, so if you do get tested on the nitty-gritty, youll know exactly what to say.
Expecting everything to run on time
In an ideal world, wed always get up for work on time, our train wouldnt be late and we wouldnt trip up on a banana skin on the way in. Sadly real life isnt like that.
And, while wed all like it if meetings started and finished as planned, some things can’t be helped employees might be off sick or late, prior meetings might be running over, someone might have even double-booked. It happens, and your reaction is important. Make contingency plans and react graciously to hurdles and changes in circumstance.
After a meeting is finished, do you just go back to your desk and forget about it? If so, you’re making a big etiquette mistake. Manners cost nothing, so failing to send something as simple as a thank-you message can make you look rude.
Post-meeting, take a few minutes to send a quick note thanking attendees for their time as well as any action points from the meeting.
From sending romantic e-kisses to copying in a manager in order to get a quick response, weve listed the eight worst email mistakes according to workers. more»
Of all the things that define Britain's working culture in 2017, few divide opinion as strongly as office buzzwords and jargon. Now, new research has settled once and for all which cliches employers should stamp out of the workplace. more»
Here, Phil Mottram, enterprise director at telecommunications company Vodafone UK, reveals three strategies for unlocking the business power of a smartphone, helping readers run their company from the palm of their hand. more»