Etiquette tasks
Behavior at work includes aspects related to employees in the team and external contacts (between teams and communication with clients).
Speech etiquette in business communication performs the following tasks:
- creates a healthy atmosphere;
- increases productivity;
- motivates you to fulfill your duties.
When the norms of business communication are observed, a pleasant, inviting atmosphere is constantly felt in the team. It is important that each employee enjoys the work done and strives to do it as best as possible.
Business communication ethics are designed to be applied in practice and for handling work situations. A team in which business communication etiquette comes first is distinguished by management’s respect for employees, the ability to find a way out of a conflict situation, and making the right decisions in work situations.
Speech etiquette in business communication includes several components:
- conversations;
- negotiations with representatives of other companies;
- presentations;
- correspondence;
- meetings;
- conferences;
- talking on the phone;
- consultations;
- interview;
- interviews.
In these options, working contacts are established, decisions are made, and information is exchanged. Business ethics helps establish clear boundaries within which business problems are resolved. By following the rules of behavior in the business world, orders are given and received, and a friendly, professional atmosphere is maintained.
A wise leader, applying business communication etiquette in practice, achieves high productivity in the company. Employees become motivated and are ready to achieve their goals. The culture of business communication and the competent application of its principles creates a positive mood in the team.
briefly about the main thing
Such advice on how to communicate correctly with subordinates is given by practitioners and professionals in their field. Remember, assimilate and implement in your team so that your company becomes more successful and relationships in the team become stronger. Finally, a few main mistakes in a leader’s behavior (to remember exactly what NOT to do):
- Don’t delegate because it’s faster to do it yourself;
- Do not strengthen your team - do not engage in training;
- Do not develop yourself;
- Forget about the reward system;
- Do not trust subordinates and control every step;
- Select favorites;
- Be afraid to fire when you definitely need to;
- Totalitarian management;
- Forget about the mission and strategy;
- Turn off common sense.
On the topic: Personnel motivation: working methods (TOP-10) Non-material motivation of personnel: 15 ways
Types of behavior in a team
There are three known options for working communication in a team:
- top down;
- down up;
- horizontally.
The work contact options contain general rules. Every employee should feel respect, regardless of their position. A wise boss strives to create a friendly atmosphere in the team and adheres to correct treatment of employees. But at the same time, subordination is not excluded.
The culture of business communication includes talking on the phone:
- While at the workplace, it is unacceptable to greet a person with an ordinary “hello” or “yes.” When you pick up the phone, you need to introduce yourself, naming the company and your position. In some organizations, the employee adds his name to the greeting.
- During the conversation you should be as attentive as possible. The client is pleased when he is addressed by name.
- Answers must be clear and to the point.
- If it is impossible to carry on a conversation, you must definitely apologize, offering to reschedule it for another time.
Basic Rules
Is it necessary to knock on the door of an office due to etiquette? If you enter an office building, there is no need to knock, otherwise you may put the employees behind the door in an awkward position. Knocking will show your suspicions that they may be solving personal problems instead of work ones. You should not knock, but you cannot enter without permission. Open the door, enter the room and ask if you can enter. No need to look out from behind the door. If you are allowed, move on. If you go to your boss’s personal account, you need to ask his secretary for permission. Sometimes bosses express wishes that subordinates should not enter his office without warning them by knocking on the door.
Employees must carefully choose topics for conversation , it is unethical to discuss each other behind each other’s backs and “wash the bones” of the manager.
Do not dry the umbrella unfolded in the middle of the office. Find a secluded place where it won’t disturb anyone, or better yet, hang it on a hanger, after making sure that it won’t bury anyone’s things.
Well-mannered people do not wear outerwear to the office , do not put it on the table or hang it on the back of the chair. All outer clothing must be left in the wardrobe. The exception is if you stopped by for three minutes on an urgent matter.
Contact between manager and subordinate
If the boss wants the team to observe the norms of business communication, then he must show by personal example how this works. You can give an order in several ways. This can be done in a strict form or in the form of a request. How the order will sound depends on how competently the manager knows etiquette in business communication.
A wise leader knows and values his employees, listens to their opinions and advice, and is ready to make compromises (without compromising work).
A good boss is fair - this is required by the ethics of business communication. If a subordinate made a mistake or inaccuracy in the performance of duties, then the fines must correspond to the amount of the omission. It’s the same with incentives—work done requires a reward.
Speech etiquette in business communication involves the conversation itself and the tone in which phrases are pronounced. The same order can be given in different timbres of voice, and as a result its perception changes. Therefore, the first phrases spoken to attract the attention of the interlocutor are important. The culture of business communication prescribes greetings that are chosen depending on the status, age and gender of the employee.
Contact between subordinate and supervisor
One of the main rules that business communication etiquette prescribes is respect for the manager by subordinates. This does not mean that he needs to be flattered or agree with everything.
An employee with his own views and opinions on issues related to work issues, and who knows how to present this in the correct form, is a good employee. Such subordinates are devoted to their company and do not neglect speech etiquette in business communication.
When talking with your boss, it is not recommended to point out any shortcomings in a harsh manner. The culture of business communication in such contact comes down to the ability of a subordinate to convey the necessary information to the manager without flattery, lies or cunning. In a calm and friendly atmosphere in a team, this is not difficult to do. Relationships between subordinates and managers, built on trust, are the application of ethical rules in business communication.
If a subordinate wants to make suggestions to improve the company's performance, then he should not immediately go to the top manager of the company. First you need to contact your nearest boss, otherwise the chain of command will be broken. In the future, such behavior of a subordinate will cause discord in the team.
Rules of business communication
Each employee has rights and responsibilities. A good boss distributes the workload evenly among his subordinates. Although each employee does his own job, he necessarily encounters and comes into contact with other colleagues.
To avoid conflict situations that interfere with the work process, the culture of business communication is important:
- Unforeseen situations sometimes arise at company presentations or meetings. To avoid conflict and personalization, observe the etiquette of business communication. Guided by the rules, it is unacceptable to interrupt colleagues, and if questions or comments arise, they can only be asked in the correct form.
- In pursuit of praise from their boss, some subordinates make mistakes. This manifests itself in the form of empty promises, or the employee takes on more responsibilities that he subsequently fails to cope with.
- Many people do not know how to listen to their interlocutor. But in working moments you cannot do without this skill. Speech etiquette in business communication helps to properly manage working time, listen and correctly understand the interlocutor.
- Some companies host foreign representatives of countries and organize buffets in their honor. During such negotiations, it is important to observe business communication etiquette. Knowing the rules and applying them correctly, you can achieve the desired result in negotiations. A favorable atmosphere and the ability to interest the interlocutor leads to the achievement of the desired goal.
- The rules of work contacts during negotiations or other business processes prohibit touching the interlocutor. But for every rule there are exceptions, and here it is a handshake. Such a gesture should be brief and businesslike, and the hand should be dry and not cold. During negotiations, unnecessary gestures and facial expressions are avoided. If a person is insecure, fussing, hiding his eyes, then he is unlikely to gain the trust of his interlocutor.
It is important how employees greet each other. Ethics of business communication allows you to use the following techniques:
- friendly look;
- smile;
- appropriate compliments;
- showing interest;
- respect;
- emphasizing the importance of the employee;
- nice words.
Such options help create a calm, working environment in the team.
Categories
You may ask, what does the timely and high-quality performance of one’s official duties have to do with etiquette?
Anyone who doesn't work well doesn't respect their colleagues. Especially when it comes to a manager: his mistakes sometimes have to be corrected by the whole team, and employees, fearing falling out of favor with the boss, usually keep their emotions to themselves.
What is the point in maintaining a distance between a manager and a subordinate?
Subordination reflects the real distribution of powers and responsibilities of the organization's employees. In addition, its observance does not allow relationships to take on a close, “family” character, which would not have a very good effect on work results. Hierarchical relationships in an organization require compliance with a number of specific rules:
- first of all, all work colleagues without exception should be addressed as “you”;
- at a meeting, a verbal greeting is made by a subordinate, and a superior official offers his hand - if he deems it necessary;
— a subordinate does not sit down in the manager’s office without the boss’s invitation.
Should you knock on the manager's office door before entering?
It is generally accepted that there is no need to knock. And yet it would be more correct to knock, and here’s why: every person has, as it were, two faces - for himself and for those around him. For example, you are on the subway and are lost in thought. Suddenly you feel a hand on your shoulder. You look around - that’s it, old friend. And immediately your face changes, as if putting on a mask - one that everyone can see. “Everything is fine, everything is fine!” - it is written on it. In the same way, a manager, being alone in an office, can slightly relax the muscles of his face and body, and there is a risk of catching him in such a form that is not intended for the eyes of others.
Why, in this case, does the opposite norm apply? It seems that the main role here was played by the fact that most managers do not like knocking and believe that the basis for such behavior is the subordinate’s uncertainty about what the manager is doing at the moment. So, dear readers, do not knock on your boss’s door, despite all the reasonable arguments given above.
Do you need to get up when your boss comes in?
You need to get up in the presence of the manager in three cases: firstly, if the manager has the habit of visiting his subordinates once a day to wish good morning; secondly, if he goes around the departments and introduces himself to the employees as their new boss; thirdly, if he enters with a guest or delegation. In this case, you need to keep in mind the following: an employee working in the far corner of a room with an area of 50 m2 should not run out and bow - it will look funny.
If your manager constantly comes to see you during the work day, you should not jump up from your seat every time. It’s a different matter when a manager or your colleague is forced to stand in front of you, discussing some issue, then you should stand up.
The psychological aspect of the situation must also be taken into account. Maybe the manager came in casually, “without rank” (for example, the boss came in to show off a new blouse).
What rules of business etiquette should a subordinate follow?
In addition to the above rules, a subordinate should also not emotionally express his dissatisfaction with his boss. If you believe that you have been treated unfairly, you need to calmly and reasonably state this.
What are the rules of leadership etiquette?
The manager should not bore his subordinates with petty control: he should have an idea of who is capable of what.
The manager must inform subordinates about the organization's strategy and management's long-term plans - within acceptable limits, of course.
The manager should reward those who perform well. If it is not possible to give a cash bonus, you need to encourage with a word: a person has the right to know that his efforts have been noticed. An employee is unlikely to leave an organization where this condition is met, even if he is offered a higher salary elsewhere.
The manager must make comments. This, one might say, is his responsibility: after all, the one who works carelessly and does not receive comments eventually relaxes.
What are the specifics of relationships between men and women in the business sphere?
In the business sphere, relationships are determined by hierarchy, and not by gender or age, that is, the leader has priority, not a lady or an elderly person. So, the leader is the first to extend his hand, even if the subordinate is a woman.
In accordance with the general rules of etiquette, a man always stands on the side from which danger can be expected. When going up and down the stairs, he walks below the lady, ready at any moment to catch his companion if she falls. The man enters the elevator first, which is a high-risk zone, and leaves it last, letting the women go first. On the street, a man walks from the side of the roadway. When entering an unfamiliar room, a man enters the door first and holds it for the lady.
In business etiquette, other norms and principles apply. As already mentioned, the main thing here is hierarchy and subordination: the leader is the first to offer his hand to the lady; Upon entering the manager's office, the lady must wait for an invitation to sit down. What if he doesn't offer? After waiting a little and seeing that the conversation is dragging on, the visitor can ask permission to sit down.
But it must be said that in most cases, male managers still pay tribute to femininity: for example, they let ladies go first when entering the door. It looks ugly when a manager forces a female secretary to carry chairs for business partners - young, healthy men - in their presence. A well-mannered man will not force a female secretary to carry a heavy suitcase behind him.
A few words about a woman's handshake. Women often ask me something like this: “I hold a high position and often negotiate with men of the same level as me. We agree on something, the men turn to each other, slap each other on the back, shake hands. At the same time, no one pays attention to me. What to do in such a situation?
First of all, don’t be offended. The history of the male handshake goes back many hundreds, maybe even thousands of years. And by our time, a man’s handshake has received, one might say, the status of an unconditional reflex.
The female handshake began to come into use in the mid-nineteenth century, but at a rather slow pace. In this sense, Soviet citizens, one might say, were lucky: in 1917, women became comrades and began to actively occupy official positions - this is where the handshake came into play. But it still hasn’t become a reflex.
Of course, men who shake hands and don’t pay attention to you cannot be called polite. But you can’t re-educate them, so use a sense of humor. And of course, extend your hand to someone with whom you can shake hands according to the hierarchy.
