Workplace etiquette in today's society

Workplace etiquette needs to begin with an understanding of our Canadian culture combined with how we accept manners and basic courtesies. Many of us have been raised with the art of saying please and thank you, and that is still appropriate for employers and employees today. We may have also been raised to open doors for ladies, or others in general, and to allow others to step off elevators before stepping on. In today’s society, common practice is to be considerate to everyone. Holding the door open, for example, seems to depend on the situation, timing, and location. However, there are some differences today in workplace niceties, as technology, working remotely, and costs of doing business, all seem to be taking on an acceptable protocol of their own. Every company does have its own culture, its own personality, and its own policies, which does takeover in everyday work life.

Our Canadian expectation is to shake an associate’s hand and make direct eye contact when we meet for any type of business meeting, including an interview. If we are unable to, we must state that, otherwise we appear distant, unfriendly, and perhaps even egotistical. We are a warm and caring nation, and we do tend to hug our close co-workers, and even associates and customers with whom we feel close to. We have to be careful, however, that we do not cross the lines of acceptable behavior, as we can perhaps misinterpret normal cultural friendliness with harassment.

When talking to bosses and co-workers, we should keep our personal lives, especially issues, to an absolute minimum during work hours. But, today, we are all looking for more ways to be social, to meet people, and to get closer. Technology and working remotely has removed the personal water cooler talk from the workplace. Additionally, we are all really too busy now, stressed and over scheduled, to chit chat. So, we may crossover our work lives with our home lives, and get a little too close when we have the chance. Workplace etiquette though, is to keep the conversations at work to mainly work related topics, especially with bosses. We need to keep personal phone calls to quiet and short timeframes, and personal emails should be handled on what would equal coffee break time; we need to remember that work time is paid time.

Company codes of conduct are general rules that should be followed by everyone, and should make common sense in any workplace. These rules should be clearly written and posted, and may consist of safety regulations and generally respected human rights. Workplace etiquette seems to be a little more flexible these days, and will vary based on the culture, ages of the workforce, and what the employees and employer create and allow as acceptable behaviors.