Business professionalism in the workplace

There is a lot of information concerning customer service, professional dress and even telephone etiquette for the workplace. There is little information concerning basic workplace etiquette. Workplace etiquette for some of us is just old-fashioned professionalism and manners, right? I thought some of us might need a quick reminder or two.

I was in the store recently and was abruptly reminded of how workplace etiquette or professionalism sometimes suffers. As I was standing in the line to be checked out at a retail establishment, the cashier was involved in a conversation with another employee at the neighboring register. Needless to say, neither of them was focused on the task at hand, or their particular customer. Besides not being the center of her attention, I really did not care to hear about what was in store for her next night out!

That same week I was in a doctor's office and the business manager came in and asked the doctor a question regarding another patient. Besides ignoring current regulations regarding the privacy of patients, this was just rude to the doctor and me. I certainly felt like I had already waited long enough to have my time with the doctor -- I did not want to relinquish any of that time I had to wait so long to get and also that time I was being charged for.

Then there are those employees who are offensive in other ways. I was at a banking establishment and could barely sign some papers on the desk -- there was too much "personal paraphernalia" taking up the customers' space. I enjoy the opportunity to see the employees' families and personal glimpses of their lives outside of work, and yet there is a fine line between a glimpse and too much.

When a receptionist is arranging appointments or visiting with a client, customer or patient and the telephone rings, who should get the primary attention? The rule of thumb is the person who is physical takes priority. It is best to take the name and the number of the person on the phone and call them back after the person at the desk is no longer there.

I carry my cell phone everywhere. I carry it for convenience and so that I am reachable in case of emergencies. So, I leave it on silent mode in my pocket during meetings, training, and while in public. Should I have to take the phone call, I excuse myself and go outside or to a private area to complete the call. It amazes me how many people think it is "cool" to talk business with others on the cell phone in public places. In reality it is unprofessional, both to others around us and the person on the other end of the phone.

With the increase of technology, there is an increase in the ways in which we can commit business etiquette faux pas. Some people embellish their e-mail correspondences with flowery pictures and attach jokes, etc. While this is okay to do with some clients, it generally sends a message of unprofessionalism. It is important to know your clients and co-workers and what their preferences are. It is also important to remember that if we batch email people, to not allow their individual addresses to appear for the entire group to read.

And what about basic telephone etiquette? It drives me crazy to call a place of work and not be given the name of the workplace and the name of the person who is answering the phone. And yet daily I bet I reach at least a couple of numbers where the person on the other end of the line does not identify himself or herself.

In today's world of business casual, professional dress is always up for definition. It is important to consider what type of image your workplace wants to project. Many organizations have a large budget for marketing (which in essence is designed to brand and create an image for that organization) and yet their standards for personal image within the organization is quite different from the image their marketing presents

There are so many ways we can present ourselves in a professional light to both our suppliers and our end-users. Although as a child, I was taught to not judge a book by its cover, sometimes we all do just that. I encourage organizations to take a look at the myriad of ways we communicate our images, our styles, our norms and expectations to others. In some instances we may want to make some adjustments!

Sharon Mueller is president of Success Skills, a staff development and training company committed to the success of a client's enterprise through improving the performance of employees and processes within the client's organization. She can be reached at 332-0900 or smuellerk@hotmail.com.