Business etiquette might seem overwhelming or complicated, but in short, it’s simple: treat others as you want to be treated, remember your manners, make others feel welcome, dress appropriately, and conduct yourself professionally. If in doubt, don’t do it. 

So what specifically is important as you move up the professional ladder? Here are my top ten habits to maintain and improve how you are viewed by peers and employers:

1. Say thank you, whether to the server at the table, or to your boss. Treat everyone as if they were an important rung in your career; they are. Don’t presume no-one is listening or watching. And if someone has supported you or done you a favour, be sure to send them a thank you.
2. Greet everyone using their name, and make introductions to anyone you know who may not know others. When introducing, don’t just say “Oh this is Jane…..” Rather, “Do you know Jane? She is the (title) in (company name if not your own)…”
3. Check and proofread emails, text or any of your communications. It’s important that the message you’re conveying is received as you wish it to be. I often say to clients, “Write the email, check it, leave it, come back and recheck it.” Ensure your spelling is correct and read it aloud to ensure you are conveying the tone and understanding you wish the receiver to get from your message. Try not to be too long-winded and if your message is complex, follow up a day later to ensure the reader has understood what you are trying to convey.  
4. Be on time. Recently a colleague of mine noted that zoom time is usually 3 – 5 minutes later than ‘on time’.  Being late is a sign of disrespect for colleagues, customers and/or clients. If you think you might be late to a meeting, let the host know beforehand. Ensure you have everything you need ready that morning/afternoon if you know there’s going to be a rush to move from one meeting to another. As with face to face meetings try to be 5 – 10 minutes early.
5. Leave your mobile alone. Whether in person or online, turn off your phone and leave it alone. If you are expecting an important call that cannot wait, inform and apologize to your host at the beginning of the meeting, and if that call does come through turn off your mic and camera until it is complete.

Mobile etiquette: I was at a meeting some years ago and a company was looking to sell us their product. Their senior manager wanted to be at the meeting and so we arranged it to meet his timetable. He was late, so eventually we began the meeting without him when he strolled in, certain in his territory, with no apology. He sat down and as we continued our conversation, he pulled out his phone and started to scroll through. I stopped talking and when my colleague moved to say something, I stopped her and we waited – in silence. Eventually he looked up and noticed the silence and my eyes on his phone. He put it down and turned it upside when I asked if he was ready to begin discussions. Needless to say, they didn’t get our business. This story illustrates what I see often on Zoom. Others are not focused on the speaker or the meeting; rather they are working on other documents or their phone. Think about the message you are sending to others. Without speaking, your body language conveys a subtle message about how you view them and the meeting itself.  

6. Zoom/video etiquette – ensure your mic and video are working.  
   1. When attending a meeting, turn your video on and your mic off (when not speaking). 
   2. As you’ve probably heard many times before, dress appropriately and keep your camera on. There’s nothing worse for a presenter or others in a meeting when one or more have their camera off. The stories in our head say, “They’re not paying attention, they are doing something else.”  Having your camera off demonstrates disrespect, a bit like pulling your phone out at a face to face meeting and scrolling/texting.  
   3. If there is a presentation with powerpoint or slides, then it is okay to turn your video off so as not to distract from the presentation. In fact, I often move all attendees off my screen so that I can see the whole presentation. However, once the presentation is finished, go back to full video.  
   4. In times of COVID, when many have children/pets in the background, try to find a quiet place to hold your meetings. Accidents do happen and that’s okay. Simply apologize and move on. Some months back I was invited to make an offer to a prospective client because I was told “You were one of the only people who didn’t turn your video off during our meeting.”  
   5. Be careful how you use the chat and double check who you are writing to – the whole group or just one other attendee. And be careful what you write – do not assume chats are confidential!  
   6. If presenting, turn notifications on your desktop off. They, too, can be distracting for you and others if you are sharing your screen.

7. If you are back in the office you may have to retrain friends and family about personal phone calls. Keep your personal calls private – move away from the common area. Besides being distracting to others it also calls attention to the perception that you cannot distinguish between professional and personal life. Let the caller know that this is not the right time for a conversation and that you will call back at a more appropriate time or just press the message button.
8. Dress appropriately – whether in person or online, remember where you are and do not, I repeat, do not dress in front of your computer. It doesn’t matter whether you think it is on or off or whether you know so. There are countless stories of people making this mistake. If in an online meeting, ensure you have everything you need around you. You don’t want to stand to get something and show the shorts/pajama bottoms or whatever else you’ve put on believing that they won’t be seen.
9. Be respectful of others’ time – whether in person or online. If you say the meeting is going to be 30 minutes, keep it so. That means if you’re the host, you’re going to have to curb people’s need to talk. Ensure your meeting rules are in place ahead of schedule: ie. individuals have 1 minute to introduce themselves.  Interrupt the endless talker with a question, “What was it you wanted to ask?”  And ensure that everyone has had the opportunity to speak.  When you respect others’ time, they will return the favour.
10. Finally remember where you are – whether you’re meeting in person or online, the same guidelines rule. Don’t eat when in an online meeting and only eat in person if it is a lunch meeting. Don’t speak with your mouth full and drink only water or coffee – in a work appropriate container. When hosting a meeting last year, in the first five minutes, I realized my tea was in my favourite cup with an emblem that read, “Let that Sh*t Go.” I quickly abandoned it and hoped that no-one was watching as I moved to my glass of water! Ensure your background is appropriate – if you don’t have a private space, ensure the space around you is clean and clear of household debris and that behind you is appropriate for a professional. I don’t use an online screen. I have a sofa with cushions, a long drawer cabinet and a watercolour hanging on my wall. I check before meetings to ensure that the sofa is clear as I have a habit of using it as a table to sort papers.

Today, we are measured by how others see us, both in person and through the lens of social media. Following the tips above will help you be sure that what others see is how you wish to be viewed.