INTRODUCTION:
"Your manners are always under examination,
and by committees little suspected, awarding or denying you very high
prizes when you least think of it", Ralph Waldo Emerson.
When a
person gets into employment for the first time he gets confused with
the corporate culture and finds it very difficult to learn the corporate
etiquette which is otherwise also known as business etiquette. There
will be vast cultural gaps from the background from where the individual
has come and that of the organization he enters. He finds it very
difficult to get along with new cultures, customs, norms and rules.
There would certainly be a gap. It takes certain time to get adjusted
and adapted to the corporate culture and learn the etiquette.
Every one knows the meaning of etiquette. Etiquette is nothing but
manners to be followed in a given cultural environment. Every culture
has its own etiquette. But overall the etiquette is universal with
certain characteristics and qualifications that run across all people
like a common thread. Business etiquette is also an etiquette that has
to be adopted in every business keeping ethics and integrity in view. It
varies from culture to culture and from country to country and from
industry to industry. All the differences are only superficial in nature
with the commonalities of basic business etiquette being at the core
level.
Etiquettes are of different types. It is desirable to
focus on a few basic etiquettes which collectively constitute the
corporate etiquette. They are Hand shake, Interview etiquette, Mobile
etiquette, Telephone etiquette, Office etiquette, Dress code, Giving
business card, Dining etiquette, Handling people, International business
etiquette, Email etiquette, etc.,
HANDSHAKE:
When two
men meet each other they shake their hands as a symbol and sign of
meeting. There is a right manner in handshake. There has to be firm
handshake that represents the confidence level of the persons. If a
person presses down the palm of the other person and shakes his hand it
indicates that the person is dominant in nature. On the other hand, if
the person allows his own palm pressed downwards and lets the other
person's palm upwards it indicates the submissive style of the person.
In the third scenario if both the persons keep their palms perpendicular
to the ground and if both persons plays neutral neither being in the
dominant level nor in the submissive level then it is the right method
of handshake and it indicates win-win or assertive handshake. A person's
nature can be easily judged by the way he shakes his hand with others.
It becomes the core part of any corporate culture.
INTERVIEW ETIQUETTE:
When going for an interview, the door is to be knocked, and after
seeking the permission the person should enter the interview room. The
person should greet the interview panel member like ‘Good morning
Sir/Sirs' depending upon the time of interview and wait for the
permission to be seated. If there is a woman Interviewing Officer(IO) it
is etiquette to greet her first followed by male members as it is part
of the Indian culture to respect women.
After getting the
permission to sit, the person should sit with straight posture at the
back with his back touching the chair and without dragging the chair or
dragging the feet. No attempts should be made either to lean forward or
to lean too much backward or to sit in totally at an ease position. The
person should sit straight and be alert by keeping both the legs
together with both feet touching on the ground.
When the
question is posed, the person should fully wait till the completion of
the sentence by the IO and then reply. No attempts should be made to
interrupt or interfere with the conversation of IO. After listening
carefully the person should analyze, process with in his mind and then
should reply appropriately with clear cut thoughts. In case if there are
any differences of opinion, the same should be handled with tact and
diplomacy. In case if there is a need to clarify anything, the same can
be asked with a request to speak the same. After the completion of the
interview, thank them and exit the room smartly without any unnecessary
noise.
MOBILE ETIQUETTE:
Now days, mobiles have become
both a boon and bane. Whenever there is an engagement or any hectic or
important activities are going on, the mobile should be kept in a silent
mode. It is not proper to talk over the phone when important discussion
or meeting is in progress. After the completion of the meeting the
calls can be attended as unattended calls are reflected in the handset.
These days, marketing calls do come frequently and it disturbs the mood
and also the precious time. These are known as unsolicited calls. The
best thing is to cut short such calls by saying, ‘I will get back to
you' or ‘Can I call you back?'
TELEPHONE ETIQUETTE:
It
is more or less like mobile etiquette only. The caller has to identify
himself first, and then should confirm whether he is looking for the
concerned person and then should start conversation. Even if you are
interrupted, exercise patience to the caller and respond. Radiate energy
and if it is not possible, at least exercise warmth so that the caller
feels comfortable and convenient to communicate. Do not keep the caller
on hold without asking ‘Say like, may I put you on a hold for a moment?'
and then put the caller on hold till you connect the right person or to
give the correct information. Personalize the conversation to make it
polite and presentable. If the concerned person is not there and if the
caller provides the information to pass on, then note down on a paper or
a note pad, sign and make it accessible and reachable to the concerned
person. Small things make major differences in telephone etiquette.
Ensure that your voice mail system is working properly and is not full
of messages to prevent incoming calls.
OFFICE ETIQUETTE:
When you visit to somebody's office, do no roam around as though it is
your own office. When you are a stranger to a place maintain and behave
like a visitor or as a guest not like a host. Do not disturb the
receptionist with too many queries. When you are asked to work in your
cubicle stick to that only and do not encroach into others' cubicles.
You can call person by name at the corporate world but politely. There
is no need to call ‘Sir' or ‘Madam' frequently. The body language must
be positive and assertive it should neither be aggressive nor
submissive. While addressing a woman if it is not clear whether she is
married or unmarried, you can use Ms as that can convey politely for
both married and unmarried woman.
Personal space from person to
person needs to be maintained properly. It is known as proxemics. You
should not behave with unknown people by being too close by maintaining
intimate distance as it creates discomfort for others.
DRESS CODE:
For men the shirt should be in light color with a tie. There should not
be any cabbage socks. The socks need to be changed regularly. Avoid
wearing white socks. The body can be applied with light perfume. It is
essential to wear tie for formal meetings. A few companies have separate
and specific dress code to its employees on specific days. There is a
traditional formula for male attire. BBTTSS is the acronym for Boot and
Belt which must be of the same color, Tie and Trouser should preferably
match with each other and Shirt and Socks should match with each other.
There is no hard and fast rule to accept this formula but it all depends
on the situation and occasion. Ultimately the dress code should be
pleasing, neat and clean and presentable.
Dress code for women is a very complicated one. It differs
from region to region and from country to country based on their
cultural background as well as their tastes and temperaments. They
should not dress like a Christmas tree. There should not be any hanky
panky costumes. Don't decorate with excessive jewellery or ornaments.
The dress should match as per the corporate culture and values of the
organization. The clothes must be positive and presentable and not of
tight fittings, no obscene clothes or revealing clothes etc.
BUSINESS CARD:
When business card is given, it must be taken with the right hand in
India. It must be read with details like name, designation and other
details and then it should be kept in a visiting card holder. Always
give fresh cards and do not give the cards that look dirty or old or
faded cards.
DINING ETIQUETTE:
• Wait for your host to ask you to sit or else sit after the host sits.
• Keep solids of the food on the left and the liquids on the right side.
• Keep the napkin folded towards you on your lap.
• If you have any food allergies tell the same in advance or to the server and if it is already served leave it on the plate.
• Don't fill your plate with entire food at one go. Fill little by little as you consume.
• If you have any doubts regarding the starting of eating food or about
the chronological order of eating food, observe your host closely and
follow.
• At the time of eating, keep the knife across the top of your plate when you are eating, blade facing towards you.
• It is formal to leave some food on the plate at the end.
• If you are a slow eater and the host has completed eating food, you leave the food and catch up with the host.
• If the food is not good and if the host enquires how is the food, say politely, "Fine, thank you".
• Once the meal is finished your silverware should be parallel to each
other in the ten and four O clock position with handles at 4.00 and tops
of the utensils at 10.00. The knife blade points towards you.
• The amount is usually paid by the host.
• Thank the host for your meal at the end.
HANDLING PEOPLE:
Every business person should learn basic etiquette to deal with people.
Of course, there are number of written and unwritten rules and
guidelines and when in doubt stick to the basic and follow.
• Build good relations with peers and subordinates.
• Never differentiate people based on designations and rank.
• Memorize the names of the people. If not, then correlate the name of
the person with that of your previous acquaintances with in your mind
for effective retention. Make a good practice of collecting the names of
the people with their phone numbers, date of birth, family details.
This will help you to build strong relations with them.
• Learn to
appreciate people sincerely. If it is essential to criticize, do not
attack the person rather attack his behavior as it takes the matter away
from person-centric to problem-centric or behavior-centric.
•
Never surprise your boss. Always keep him informed about the work
related activities and try to be in the good books of your boss.
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ETIQUETTE:
With the rapid growing technology the globe has become smaller. As a
result, there are plenty of opportunities since the communication has
become easier. Employers began thinking broadly and are trying to set up
their ventures at the global level. Along with that the employees have
opportunities to work with the people across the globe.
It is
necessary to know the basics of international etiquette such as the
multicultural issues, different time zones, different workings hours,
holiday patterns, table manner etc., Mr. Laxmi Niwas Mittal the global
steel czar has clearly mentioned about the significance and importance
of multicultural issues so as to succeed in the international business.
EMAIL ETIQUETTE:
Paper correspondence is gradually losing its relevance. In every
business there is growing significance attached to Email and it is
necessary to dwell at length about email etiquette in this context.
The subject matter should be simple, specific, short and identify
yourself. It should not be like compound sentences. The receiver should
be in a position to identify its source and the objective behind it. In
the ‘To' address column put the main addressee and if the same is to be
informed to other addresses you can add those emails in the ‘CC' column.
It is usually considered unethical to use the BCC column. If the mail
is not to be known to the other addressees and in extreme cases you can
use ‘BCC'.
Personalize the mail to create bonding with the
reader. Dear Sir/Madam, followed by the name of the person with
designation as it impresses the reader for the significance you have
accorded to the designation and also for having made it personal.
Follow proper alignment and the margin on the left side. Write the
contents in simple, straight and short manner. The contents must be
concise, crisp and clear. Put across all the points. At the end, you may
conclude with ‘Regards', or ‘Best regards', or ‘With regards', or ‘Best
wishes' followed by your signature. Before sending check for grammar,
syntax, sentence format, punctuation. Read and reread the email before
hitting the ‘send' button as it becomes an evidence for future records.
While replying to official mails do not check ‘Reply all' button as the
confidential information, if any, will be known to all. Never type the
contents in capital letters as that indicates that you are shouting at
others. And also avoid using lower case. As far as possible the business
letter should not last more than a page as it is an official document.
Do not visit pornographic sites as every company has an internal
scanning system to check the same. And ultimately you will be in deep
hot water. Try to use soft, polite and neutral words and avoid using
unparliamentary language.
CONCLUSION:
Etiquette and
business etiquette is essential to survive and succeed both at the
personal and professional level. It has paramount significance and
importance at the corporate world either to make or break the business
deals. Therefore, it is mandatory to stick to the basics of all
etiquettes to become a successful professional. To conclude, the
business etiquette is essential from peon to principal and from employee
to employer.
