Business Etiquette: Some of it Sounds Familiar

(Image from franchetti)

The job market has been heating up for new graduates, which means that there's a new generation that needs to learn the norms of workplace behavior.

These norms, or rules, are a bit different--and some subjects didn't even exist--when your humble blogger entered the work force back in the (cough) '70's. For example:

Note preferred modes of communication. On the first day, ask: What’s the best way to get in touch? Email? Call? Slack? (Don’t text your bosses unless they text you first.) “Every manager is going to have a different preference, and simply asking signals that you are eager to contribute,” [Harvard career adviser Gorick] Ng said.

There does seem to be one common predilection among managers, which Mr. Ng calls “bundle and escalate.” Don’t ask 10 questions in 10 separate communiqués—batch them together before approaching your manager...

Virtual-Meeting Virtuoso
Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Webex and Bluejeans are some of the more widely used videoconferencing platforms. Find out which is deployed by your company and download the apps for your desktop and mobile device in advance, then try a test meeting, before you have to join a real one...

You’ll want to make sure you look and sound great. A little height for your webcam and light on your face goes a long way. Logitech’s $60 Litra Glow clip-on light produces soft, flattering illumination, but any lamp or nearby window helps...

Email Like a Pro
Overly long emails are a common new-grad pitfall, according to Renate Norman, general manager of global university recruiting at Microsoft. “Get to the point quickly,” she said. She recommends starting with a summary and your main point or request up top. You can add more detail later, but if it’s getting too messy, pick up the phone.

Many of these recommendations are simply updates to old standards. For example, managers have always preferred that subordinates "get to the point quickly" in meetings or memos; now we're applying that rule to other modes of communications, i.e. e-mails and videos. Another: personal phone calls were frowned upon during working hours; now we're expanding that rule to include text messages and e-mails.

In my humble opinion the new rules can be figured out from general principles: keep your personal and business lives separate; respect the privacy of others; look presentable; waste as little of other's time as possible; be prepared on the topic and technology before the meeting; and be polite even if you have negative emotions toward another person.