The Social Aspect of Business Etiquette

One of the most interesting yet most socially inept characters we all know from popular fiction is Michael Scott, the branch manager of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, from the TV show ‘The Office’. Steve Carell, who plays the bumbling boss, acts the ‘politically incorrect’ role to the hilt. For the uninitiated, Michael Scott is a narcissistic yet naïve know-it-all. His publicity stunts always focus on himself while at the same time showing incredible unawareness toward the sensitivities of his fellow colleagues and clients he runs into. His penchant for attention, crave for adoration and extreme need for affirmation always manages to land him in the most awkward of situations that compromise his authority and/or integrity. Business Etiquette is not a term in Michael’s vocabulary.

We’ve all at some point in our personal or professional lives met a ‘Michael Scott’; people who seem strangely unaware of basic protocols of behavior at the workplace. And yet business etiquette is a crucially important dynamic to the harmonious functioning of a working environment. The way we interact with other people says a lot about us. Handshakes, eye contact and a warm smile creates a connection on a subconscious level that is friendly, non-hostile and completely professionally appropriate. It exudes a sense of confidence but also communicates a genuine interest in personal interactions with other people.

Introducing people also has a certain protocol to it – If one is introducing a high ranking individual to a group of people, it is appropriate to start from the lowest ranking executive to the top. Unwritten rules of conduct, hierarchy and protocol play an important role in associating with other colleagues form the workplace. Conversations are expected to be professionally related and personal topics of a sensitive and intimate nature are best left alone. Gossiping, even about fellow workers, is rude and offensive. Cell phone conversations are also expected to be kept at a minimum. Business etiquette seeks to meet the minimal standards of professional behavior in the workplace.

Business Etiquette Training programs are on the rise in businesses around the world as the importance of professionalism and protocol continue to increase in a pluralistic and globalizing corporate enterprise around the world. 

MMM Training Solutions conducts Soft Skills Training, corporate training, cross cultural training and leadership training programs for corporates in India and abroad.