OFFICE ETIQUETTE
It is the rules for being polite in a social group.
Why is business etiquette important?
1. For building new contacts and relationships.
2. For improving the working environment.
Arriving late for a meeting
- Ignoring people when you meet them
- Shouting an order at someone
- Not apologizing if you offend someone
- Being rude to people who offer
to help you
- Using bad language
-
hierarchy
rules
status
subordinates
Complete the following with the words above:
1. In formal situations, it is a good idea to
RULES
follow standard _______
when making new
contacts.
STATUS
2. Politeness is often linked to ________.
3. We are more polite to people who are
HIERARCHY
above us in the organizational ________.
1. Read the article, Office Workers ‘Admit Being
Rude’.
2. Find six examples of bad manners.
3.
3.
Which three examples of bad manners is the
company in the article trying to stop?
Do you think companies should invest money in
training employees to be polite?
Complete the text with these words from the article.
Admit avoid
ignore
introduce
invest
improve
respond
A recruitment firm gives this advice to new workers:
It is important to ________ time in your relationships with others
at work.
Get to know the people who work near you: ______ yourself to
them and
tell them something about yourself. If people ask for your help,
always ________ positively. Don’t ________ emails or phone calls
just because you are busy. If you make a mistake, it is better to
_______ it and
then apologize. When things go wrong, stay calm and ________
shouting and using bad language. Remember, good manners
help to
_________ your working environment, and you will find you can
enjoy your work more.
1.
rude, stuffy, bad-mannered, impolite
2.
Courtesy, politeness, etiquette, impact
3.
Communicate, answer, reply, respond
4.
Regularly, commonly, rarely, often
Un-
in-
dis-
im-
1. Formal
4. polite
7. friendly
10. respectful
2. Satisfied 5. practical
8. efficient
11. patient
3. Honest 6. considerate 9. important 12. appropriate
Example: Someone who is bad-mannered is impolite.
Someone who…
1 … doesn’t tell the truth is _______.
2 … wants to do things in a hurry and finish quickly is ________.
3 …doesn’t like other people and doesn’t want to talk is ________.
4 …works slowly and doesn’t do their job well is _________.
5 …doesn’t think about other people’s needs or wishes is
_______.
6 …isn’t happy with the way things happened is _________.
We’ve discussed etiquette.
Now consider the
complexities of working on
the international stage
Each culture has it’s own
rules for etiquette. Let’s
review some of them.



In China, Korea, and Japan you should try and
use both hands to give and receive.
Examine the card and make a positive
comment on it.
NEVER write on the business card, as it is
viewed as writing on the person’s face.

In the Arab world you would never give or
receive a business card with your left hand.


Whereas in the U.S. or UK it may be OK to
sling the business card into a pocket or even
write on it, in some cases.
In many countries you should always treat a
business card with much more respect such
as storing it in a business card holder.
How close do you stand to people? Is it impolite to
touch somebody? What about gender differences?

In the Middle East you may get very touchy-feely
with the men, yet one should NEVER touch a
woman.

A slap on the back may be OK in Mexico but
in China it is a serious insult.

Touch someone on the head in Thailand or
Indonesia and you would have caused great
insult. It is believed the head is the ‘seat of
the soul’.


There are many etiquette rules surrounding
the exchange of business gifts.
Avoid giving any gifts containing alcohol in
Muslim countries, as the Quran strictly
prohibits alcohol.


In Japan, do not give gifts in odd numbers or
in sets of four, as odd numbers are bad luck
and four sounds like the word ‘death’ in
Japanese.
Also, gifts should be given at the end of a
visit.


In China, avoid giving clocks of any type or
watches because clock/ 送鐘 (sòng zhōng)
sounds like 送終 (sòng zhōng), the funeral ritual.
Clocks also symbolize time is running out;
therefore, the end of relationships and life.
In China, avoid gifts in sets of four because 四 (sì,
four) sounds like 死 (sǐ, death).
There is a Russian term meaning "connections"
or "influences”. It is extremely difficult to do
business in Russia without help from a local.
To help with this, gifts, money or other items
are often a good idea when doing business in
Russia.

Modesty and humility are important in Korean
culture and therefore it is best to avoid overselling yourself or your company’ previous
business achievements.

Some cultures like to talk loudly (US and Germany),

some softly (India and China);

some speak directly (Holland, Denmark, Russia)

others indirectly (UK and Japan);

some tolerate interrupting others while speaking (Brazil)

others consider interrupting very rude (Canada);

some are very blunt (Greece)

and some very flowery (Middle East).
Listen to the three people describing business etiquette in
their cities- Sydney, London, and New York- and answer
the questions.
In which city…
1 …do people like to be formal?
2 …are people very competitive?
3 …are things changing?
Sydney
Breakfast
Meetings
Punctuality
London
New York
Common-8am
Important
Dress
Lunch
What do people
talk about
outside work?
business
Tick the responses that mean ‘no’. What words
do we sometimes use to avoid saying ‘no’?
Offers
Responses
Can I help you?
Let me carry your bags for you.
Would you like a coffee?
Do you want some sugar?
I could make a copy for you.
Yes, I’m looking for Mr. Jones.
Thanks-that’s very kind of you.
Not just now, thanks.
I don’t take sugar, thanks.
Thanks, but I don’t really need one.
Requests
Responses
Can you phone me tomorrow?
Could I have some water, please?
Would you please check the figures?
Could you give me some directions,
please?
It’s a bit difficult. I’m very busy.
Yes, of course.
Yes, no problem.
I’m sorry. I don’t know this place
very well.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Can I phone you at 10 o’clock tonight?
Would you like to try some of our English
beer?
Could you give me your report today,
please?
Let me show you around our factory?
Could you tell me about the history of your
town?
Do you want a lift to the airport?
1 Can I introduce my
colleague? This is Jane
Duncan.
2 I’m really sorry about my
mistake.
3 Thanks very much for
your help.
4 Would you like to join us
for lunch?
5 It is OK to smoke in here?
6 Thanks for a very nice
lunch.
a No problem. You’re
welcome.
b That would be very
nice. Thank you!
c That’s all right. Don’t
worry about it.
d I’m glad you enjoyed it.
e Pleased to meet you.
f I’m sorry. It isn’t allowed.
1
2
3
4
5
6
A business partner from the UK comes to visit
you in your office. Introduce your colleagues.
Invite your visitor to a local football match this
evening.
You are the visitor. You want to know if you
can smoke in the office.
Your colleague helped you to prepare the
conference room for a meeting. Say thank you.
You spill coffee on a document that your
colleague is reading. Apologize.
You are a visitor from abroad. Your business
partner takes you to the airport to catch your
flight home. Say thank you.
In some cultures, people prefer to be direct.
For example, they may go into a restaurant
and say: “I want to see the menu!”
In other cultures, people think it is impolite to
be so direct. They might say: ‘Do you think
we could possibly have a look at the menu,
please?”
How would they make this request in your
country?
Dilemma & Decision: A Workplace Bully
Access this article at: http://timburry.weebly.com
Click on Spring, 2013 Class Lists,
then Global Business, then Dilemma & Decision Articles
GROUP A:
Some bullies love power. They want to be in control of
everything and everybody. These bullies make life difficult
for all their subordinates. They usually have psychological
problems and it isn’t easy to change their management style.
GROUP B:
Some bullies hate mistakes. They want their own work to be
perfect and they want everyone else to be perfect too. These
bullies don’t consider people’s feelings when they find
problems with their work. They often don’t know they are
bullying. Sometimes it can help to talk to these bullies about
their management style.
GROUP C:
Some people become bullies because they are very unsure of
themselves. They are afraid of competition from other
people who may be better than them. They hate the idea of
someone else doing well in their job. They think that the
only way to improve their own success is to keep their
competitors back.


Write an email to a friend in Sydney, London, or New
York who is planning to come to your country on
business. Look at the information in the table below.
Tell him or her about any practices that are different in
your country.
Read and bring to the next class: Fashion’s Favorite and
Volkswagen Bugs. These articles can be found on my
website under Dilemma & Decision and Assigned
Readings.
Sydney
Breakfast
Meetings
Punctuality
London
New York
Common-8am
Important
Dress
Lunch
What do people
talk about
outside work?
business