BUSINESS ETIQUETTE

What is Etiquette?

Etiquette in simpler words is defined as good behaviour which distinguishes human beings from
animals. Human Being is a social animal and it is really important for him to behave in an
appropriate way. Etiquette refers to behaving in a socially responsible way. Etiquette refers to
guidelines which control the way a responsible individual should behave in the society.

Need for Etiquette

▪ Etiquette makes you a cultured individual who leaves his mark wherever he goes.
▪ Etiquette teaches you the way to talk, walk and most importantly behave in the society.
▪ Etiquette is essential for an everlasting first impression. The way you interact with your
superiors, parents, fellow workers, friends speak a lot about your personality and up-
bringing.
▪ Etiquette enables the individuals to earn respect and appreciation in the society. No one
would feel like talking to a person who does not know how to speak or behave in the
society. Etiquette inculcates a feeling of trust and loyalty in the individuals. One becomes
more responsible and mature. Etiquette helps individuals to value relationships.

Types of Etiquette

1. Social Etiquette- Social etiquette is important for an individual as it teaches him how to
behave in the society.
2. Bathroom Etiquette- Bathroom etiquette refers to the set of rules which an individual
needs to follow while using public restrooms or office toilets. Make sure you leave the
restroom clean and tidy for the other person.
3. Corporate Etiquette- Corporate Etiquette refers to how an individual should behave while
he is at work. Each one needs to maintain the decorum of the organization. Don’t loiter
around unnecessary or peep into other’s cubicles.
4. Meeting Etiquette- Meeting Etiquette refers to styles one need to adopt when he is
attending any meeting, seminar, presentation and so on. Listen to what the other person has
to say. Never enter meeting room without a notepad and pen. It is important to jot down
important points for future reference.
5. Telephone Etiquette- It is essential to learn how one should interact with the other person
over the phone. Telephone etiquette refers to the way an individual should speak on the
phone. Never put the other person on long holds. Make sure you greet the other person.
Take care of your pitch and tone.
6. Eating Etiquette- Individuals must follow certain decorum while eating in public. Don’t
make noise while eating. One should not leave the table unless and until everyone has
finished eating.
7. Business Etiquette- Business Etiquette includes ways to conduct a business.

To conclude, etiquette transforms a man into a gentleman.

 PROFESSIONAL ETIQUETTE
Professional Etiquette refers to set of rules an individual must follow while he is at work. One
must respect his organization and maintain the decorum of the place. Professional Etiquette refers
to behaving sensibly and appropriately at the workplace to create an everlasting impression. No
one would take you seriously if you do not behave well at the workplace. Remember we can’t
behave the same way at work place as we behave at our homes. One needs to be professional and
organized. It is important to behave well at the workplace to earn respect and appreciation. Let us
go through some Do’s and Don’ts at workplace:
1. Never adopt a casual attitude at work. Your office pays you for your hard work and not for
loitering around.
2. Don’t peep into other’s cubicles and workstations. Knock before entering anyone’s cabin.
Respect each other’s privacy.
3. Put your hand phone in the silent or vibrating mode at the workplace. Loud ring tones are
totally unprofessional and also disturbs other people.
4. Don’t open anyone else’s notepads registers or files without his permission.
5. It is bad manners to sneeze or cough in public without covering your mouth. Use a
handkerchief or tissue for the same.
6. Popping chewing gums in front of coworkers is simply not expected out of a professional.
7. Stay away from nasty politics at the workplace. Avoid playing blame games.
8. Keep your workstation clean and tidy. Throw unwanted paper in dustbin and keep files in
their respective drawers. Put a label on top of each file to avoid unnecessary searching.
9. Never criticize or make fun of any of your colleagues. Remember fighting leads to no
solution. There are several other ways to express displeasure. Sit with your colleagues,
discuss issues face to face and decide on something which is mutually acceptable.
10. Take care of your pitch and tone at the workplace. Never shout on anyone or use foul
words. It is unprofessional to lash out at others under pressure. Stay calm and think
rationally.
11. Never attend meetings or seminars without a notepad and pen. It is little tough to remember
each and everything discussed in the meeting. Jot down the important points for future
reference. Wait for your turn to speak.
12. Pass on information to all related recipients in the desired form. Communicate through
written modes of communication preferably through emails. Keep your reporting boss in
the loop. Make sure your email signatures are correct.
13. Reach office on time. One must adhere to the guidelines and policies of the organization.
Discipline must be maintained at the workplace.
14. No organization likes to have a shabbily dressed employee. Shave daily and do not use
strong perfumes.
15. Never wear revealing clothes to work. Body piercing and tattoo are a strict no no at the
workplace. Females should avoid wearing heavy jewellery to work.
16. Don’t pass lewd comments to any of your fellow workers.
17. While having lunch together, do not start till the others have received their food. Make sure
your spoon and fork do not make a clattering sound. Eat slowly to avoid burping in public.
18. Respect your fellow workers and help them whenever required.
19. It is unethical to share confidential data with external parties and any other individual who
is not related to the organization. Data in any form must not be passed to anyone outside
the organization.
20. Office Stationery is meant to be used only at work. Taking any office property back home
is equivalent to stealing.
21. Make sure you turn off the monitor while you go out for lunch or tea breaks. Switch off
the fans, lights, printer, fax machine, scanner before you leave for the day.
22. Don’t bring your personal work to office. Avoid taking kids to office unless and until there
is an emergency.
23. Park your car at the space allocated to you. Don’t park your vehicle at the entrance as it
might obstruct someone’s way.
24. Never ever drink while you are at work. Smoke only at the smoking zones.

TELEPHONE ETIQUETTE
1. Always remember your voice has to be very pleasant while interacting with the other
person over the phone. Don’t just start speaking, before starting the conversation use warm
greetings like “good morning”, “good evening” or “good noon” depending on the time.
2. Never call any person at odd hours like early morning or late nights as the person will
definitely be sleeping and will not be interested in talking to you.
3. In any official call, don’t use words like” Any guess who I am? “as the person on the other
side might be occupied with something and can get disturbed. Always say “Is it Ted?”, and
do ask him, “Is it the good time to talk to you?” and then start communicating. If the person
sounds busy always wait for the appropriate time.
4. Make sure your content is crisp and relevant. Don’t play with words, come to the point
directly and convey the information in a convincing manner. First prepare your content
thoroughly and then only pick up the receiver to start interacting.
5. After dialing, always reconfirm whether the person on the other side is the desired person
whom you want to interact with. Always ask “Am I speaking to Mike?” or “Is this Jenny?”
before starting the conversation.
6. Always carefully dial the numbers, never be in a rush or dial the numbers in dark as it
would lead to a wrong call. If by mistake you have dialed a wrong number, don’t just hang
up, do say sorry and then keep the phone courteously.
7. Never put the second party on a very long holds. Always keep the information handy and
don’t run for things in between any call as the listener is bound to get irritated.
8. While interacting over the phone, don’t chew anything or eat your food. First finish your
food and then only dial the number. If you are reading, please leave the book aside, first
concentrate what the other person wishes to convey and then continue with the book.
9. After completing the conversation, don’t just hang up. Reconfirm with the receiver whether
he has downloaded the correct information or not and do end your conversation with
 pleasant words like “Take care”, “nice speaking with you” and a warm bye. Never say
Goodbye.
10. Always speak each and every word clearly. The person on the other hand can’t see your
expressions so remember your tone should be apt to express your feelings in the correct
form.
11. Don’t take too long to pick up any call. If you miss the call, make sure you give a call back
as the other person might have an important message to convey. Avoid giving missed calls
at work places as it irritates the other person.
12. In professional talks, never keep the conversation too long as the other person might be
busy. Always keep the content crisp and relevant and do come to the point after formal
greetings.
13. If you are not the correct person and the speaker needs to speak to your fellow worker
always say “one moment please- I will call him in a minute”. If the colleague is not in the
office premises, always take a message on his behalf and don’t forget to convey him when
he is back.
14. Decrease the volume of the television or turn off the speakers while speaking over the
phone as noise acts as a hindrance to effective communication
15. If there is any disturbance in the network, don’t just keep speaking for the sake of it; try to
call after sometime with a better line.
16. While at a meeting or some engagement, keep your mobile on silent. Do not pick up a call
at the table when in a meeting.

DRESSING ETIQUETTE
1. One must dress as per the occasion. Avoid wearing jeans, capris, shorts, T - Shirts or
sleeveless dresses to work. Follow a professional dress code. Make sure you feel
comfortable in whatever you wear. It is not always necessary to wear expensive clothes
rather wear something which looks good on you.
2. Choose professional colours like black, blue, brown, grey for official attire. Bright colours
look out of place in corporates. Light and subtle colours exude elegance and
professionalism and look best in offices.
3. Make sure your clothes are clean and ironed. One should never go shabbily dressed to
work. Prefer wrinkle free clothes.
4. Hair should be neatly combed and kept short. Spikes hairstyle looks good only in parties
and informal get together. Females should tie their hair. It gives a neat look.
5. Male Employees
a. Male employees ideally should combine a simple shirt with trousers. Make sure the
colours are well coordinated. Prefer a light colour shirt with a dark trouser and vice
a versa. Do not wear designer shirts to work. Prefer plain cotton or linen wrinkle
free shirts in neutral colours. Go for brands like Zodiac, Arrow, Colorplus, Louis
Philippe, Allensolly etc. These brands offer good collection of formal office shirts.
b. The shirt should be properly tucked into the trouser for the professional look. Prefer
full sleeves shirts at workplace. Never roll up your sleeves.
 c. Silk ties look best on professionals. Don’t go for designer ties. The tie should
neither be too short nor too long. The tip of the tie ideally should touch the bottom
of the belt buckle. Slim ties are not meant for offices.
d. Wear leather belts to work preferably in black or brown shades. Do not wear belts
with flashy and broad buckles.
e. Socks must be well coordinated with the outfit.
f. Don’t wear shoes that make noise while walking. Prefer soft leather shoes in black
or brown colour. Make sure your shoes are polished and laces properly tied. Never
wear sports shoes or sneakers to work.
g. Shave daily. Use a good after shave lotion and make sure your skin does not look
dry and flaky.
h. Body odour is a big turn off. One must always smell good in public. Use a mild
perfume or deodorant.
6. Female Employees
a. Females should not wear revealing clothes to work. Avoid wearing outfits which
expose much of your body parts. Wear clothes which fit you best. Don’t wear too
tight or loose clothes.
b. Understand the basic difference between a party wear and office attire. Never wear
low neck blouses to work. Blouses with deep back or noodle straps are a strict no
no at the workplace. Avoid transparent saris.
c. Females who prefer westerns can opt for light coloured shirts with dark well fitted
trousers. A scarf makes you look elegant.
d. Never wear heavy jewellery to work. Avoid being a make up box. Nude make up
does wonders. Nails should be trimmed and prefer natural shades for nail paint.
e. Avoid wearing sharp pointed heels to work.
f. The colour of the handbag must coordinate with the outfit.
g. Eyebrow, naval, lip piercing must be avoided at the workplace.

MEETING ETIQUETTE
Meeting Etiquette refers to codes of behavior an individual ought to follow while attending
meetings and discussions at the workplace. Let us go through some meeting etiquette in detail:
1. Try to find out what the meeting is all about. Understand the importance of the meeting.
Never go blank. Employees should do all the ground work before attending meetings to
ensure maximum participation from their end. Prepare notes in advance.
2. Never attend meetings without a notepad and pen. It is practically not possible for an
individual to remember each and every thing discussed at the time of meeting. A notepad
helps in jotting down the important points for future reference.
3. Always keep your cell phone on the silent or vibrator mode. Cell phones ringing in the
middle of meetings and seminars are considered rude and unprofessional. This might insult
others sitting in the same room as well as break the pace of the meeting.
 4. Do not attend phone calls during meetings unless it is an emergency. It is bad manners to
do the same.
5. Superiors must create an agenda before every meeting. The agenda must be circulated
among all employees for them to prepare in advance. Meetings should not be conducted
just for the sake of it. It is important to have well defined plans. Make a list of issues to be
discussed at the time of meeting. Make sure you do not deviate from the key points. Keep
the meetings short.
6. Never be late for meetings. Going late for a meeting is something which is not expected
out of a professional.
7. Chewing gum during meetings is childish and must be avoided.
8. Be a good listener. Listen to what others have to say. Wait for your turn to speak.
9. Sit wherever you find a place. Do not run here and there.
10. Do not enter the meeting room once the meeting has already begun It disturbs others.
11. Avoid taking your cups of coffee or tea to meeting rooms unless and until advised by
superiors.
12. Fiddling with pen or notepad is one of the major distractions in meetings. One must
concentrate and stay alert. Be an attentive listener. Do not yawn even if you find the
meeting boring.
13. The one chairing the meeting must speak loud and clear. It is essential to take care of the
pitch and tone.
14. Meetings ought to be interactive and allow employees to come up with their suggestions
and valuable feedback. A question answer round must be kept at the end for employees to
clear their doubts.
15. Once the meeting is over, minutes of the meeting must be prepared and circulated across
all departments for them to take necessary action
16. Use Whiteboards, projectors, graphs, pointers, slides for better clarity.
17. Do not convert the meeting room into a battle ground. Speak politely and do respect your
colleagues.
18. Never attend meetings in casuals. Follow a professional dress code.

DINING ETIQUETTE
Table manners play an important part in making a favorable impression. They are visible signals
of your manners and, therefore, are essential to professional success. Whether you are having lunch
with a prospective employer or dinner with a business associate, your manners speak volumes
about you. Let’s take a look at some of the etiquette:

1. Sit straight and try not to lean on the table.

2. Keep your elbows off the table and close to the body when you are eating.
3. Pass food to the right.
4. Transfer dip to your plate.
5. Plates are served on the left.
6. Dishes removed from the right.
 7. Pass the salt and pepper together.
8. Once seated place the napkin, unfolded, on your lap and leave it there until you are finished.
9. Once you are finished place the napkin folded loosely to the left of your plate.
10. A napkin is used to dab the corners of you mouth.
11. If you need to leave the table during the meal, place the napkin on the chair and slide the
chair under the table.
12. If a piece of silverware drops, leave it and ask for a replacement from your server.
13. Silverware should not touch the tablecloth once used.
14. Place knife at the top of the dinner plate, facing in, after use.
15. When you are finished, place your knife and fork in the center of your plate.
16. Wait until everyone is seated before eating.
17. When dining with others, everyone should start and finish at the same time. If you are a
fast eater try to pace yourself. You could make the others feel uncomfortable if you finish
before they do.
18. When you are finished eating, do not push your plate away from you.
19. Take small bites, keep your mouth closed and finish chewing before continuing your
conversation.
20. Try not to gulp your food, it isn't very attractive.
21. Do not blow on food that is hot. Wait until it cools or when having soup, eat from the side
of the bowl.
22. Bread and rolls should be broken with your fingers, in small pieces, and buttered one piece
at a time.
23. Cut one or two pieces of meat (or main course) at a time.
24. Use your knife to cut lettuce, if needed.
25. Be discrete if you have a problem with the food.
26. If you have to leave the table, excuse yourself.
27. Turn your head from the table when you cough or sneeze.
28. If someone uses your bread plate as their own, do not inform them of their mistake. Simply
use your dinner plate. Do not use the bread plate on your right as a replacement.

SOCIAL MEDIA ETIQUETTE

Internal Social Media are indispensable for 2 main reasons: 1. It creates brand ambassadors. The
internal experts in the company can become online promoters of the company brand through
impeccable social media posts. 2. It builds credibility and word of mouth. Good social media
activity among employees of the company increases the opportunity of getting noticed online and
being consistent at it results in trust towards a company.
1. You should update your job title regularly on social networks, but keep in mind to state
that you are publishing your own opinions.
2. Do not post content that reasonably could be viewed as obscene, malicious, threatening or
intimidating or might constitute harassment or bullying.
3. Do post about company culture, offices, team mates etc. in appropriate photos or status
updates.
4. Don’t reply to questions or to negative comments on the official pages.
5. Make sure you know the difference between personal posts and work-related posts. For
example, you can have a separate album on Facebook with work related photos, or use a
hashtag on Twitter to determine the post’s affiliation (#work, #worklife, #officelife,
#officefun etc.)
6. Do not give advices to clients via social media.
7. Tag the page in the description of their work-related posts, whether it’s on Instagram,
Facebook or Twitter.
8. Do not publish any incorrect, confidential or non-public content about the company or your
clients on social media.
9. Use the social media only to the acceptable extent defined by the company during office
hours.
10. Do not post any content or pictures which could be embarrassing for your organization or
yourself professionally.