Etiquette Now! Insights

  Stealing Lunches, Burning Microwave Popcorn, Hogging the Fridge...Oh My! At work, the lunch or breakroom is often a place to mingle or hide out during breaks.   Sometimes, though, it can be a place of crime.   Crime in the workplace?   Oh yes.   As an etiquette consultant, one of the most common workplace complaints I hear concerns the lunch thief.   Thievery isn't the only breakroom complaint, however.   Therefore, I've developed a few tools to deal with this diverse group of breakroom irritants and offenders.   What causes some employees to exhibit such poor behavior? When frustrated with coworkers, many will come to me with their workplace stories and questions.   The first question is usually about why their coworkers would steal their lunch or warm smelly fish in the microwave.   The answer is simple: Most forget that the workplace is a shared space, so they become too comfortable and forget to use their best manners. ...

Tools for Sharing Office Space With Those Who Don't Share Well Coworkers can drive a person crazy.   No doubt.   Still, there are ways to deal with this behavior in a civilized manner.   What follows are the most common issues, tools to deal with issues, and some dos and don'ts for those sharing personal space in the workplace. How do I deal with the loud, irritating, and annoying workmate? Everyone who works in a cubical jungle knows this person.   He is the one who does everything loudly.   All hear his telephone conversations.   He often stands in the aisle telling jokes and laughs loudly.   His noisy demeanor makes it difficult to concentrate on work, resulting in a severe drop in productivity.   Professionalism is at stake as well, with a laugh track playing in the background of coworkers' phone conversations.     Noisy as well, she is equally familiar with office slaves.   She is the habitual fiddler.   She t...

Public vs Private Profile I've been reflecting on my " Polishing our Professional Presence ” article, (how our verbal, non-verbal, and written communication skills indicate our professional presence to others).  I’ve been pondering what it is that was missing from this “package” of communication skills that make up our professional presence.  Well, I figured it out.   Our professional presence is our public image, and as such is only one tiny aspect of who we are and how others view us.  If we don’t pay attention to our private image and don’t consider our behavior and how we treat others privately, can we really be taken seriously professionally? How Our Private Life Can Negatively Affect Our Public Image Let’s take for example a well-known actor, whose name I cannot mention out of courtesy.  His career was going well and had been for many years.  However, after his highly publicized arrest for poor public behavior , it has taken him many years ...

How to Prepare for the Interview to Get the Job You Want One of my jobs as an etiquette consultant is to train job candidates for interviews, which is becoming more and more difficult in this time of personal disconnect.  By this, I mean, that many people simply do not know how to talk to another face to face.  Many more do not know the simplest of manners as well.  Combine these behaviors and the interview process often becomes a source of comedy relief.  But how about the common virtual interview?  You’re not off the hook.  Personal skills are amplified through the computer screen. To keep me up to date with the interview process , I have contacts within various industries.  Insiders have shared these stories.  There was the job candidate who showed up in his gym clothes stating he didn’t have time to change.  Many answer their cellphones and text during the interview.  Moreover, most don’t make good eye contact or seem to care ...

  What to Do Before and After the Next Big Lay-Off In print for more than two decades, the immensely popular Who Moved My Cheese is still a relevant book about change in the workplace.   Yet, many aren't heeding the very simple lessons presented on those pages.   It teaches that complacency with where our cheese is stored, i.e., our job, could result in hunger—the cheese can be moved at any time.   With the job market constantly changing, the pressure of the pandemic and a sluggish economy, many are scrambling to find their cheese, as it has left the building.   However, if we prepare ourselves for change, we are nimbler to jump back into the job market and score.   For example, writer Gillian Kelly on Forbes states, “With technological innovation completely reshaping entire industries and vocations, skill gaps are emerging and rapidly increasing.”  Cecilia Amador de San José from AllWork believes AI and technology will replace many jobs so ...

  Shower, shave and get dressed is what many people consider proper prep for a job interview.    However, in my decades of experience training job seekers, I’ve found that it takes much, much more to land your dream job.    Preparing for the interview is hard work and not something to take lightly—unless you don’t want the job.      Do your homework! Go to the company’s website to find as much as you can about them.   What do they do?   Are there any recent press releases? Learn about the corporate culture.   Do they post information about their employees for public recognition?   Are they fun?   Are they active in fundraising for charities?   All this information can be used during your interview.   Just weave the information you find into your answers and during the question period at the end of the interview.   Know your audience! Consider the types of questions you may be asked. Do some re...

  How the Price of Gas Doesn't Affect my Family Budget Ouch!   The price of gas can be painful for those who must drive for business and/or family functions.   As a workshop-presenting etiquette professional, I travel for business quite often and have felt the sting in the past.   Still, I cut my gas bill by two-thirds with a few simple changes.   Follow along as I share my favorite gas-saving tips. Save on gas and get the wind in your hair by biking. Other than my business trips out of town, my other “car” is my three-wheel cycle.   Fortunately, I live in a bicycle-friendly environment filled with bike paths and lanes.    The three wheels offer more than just stability—it is a heavy cycle.   Always considering safety, I sit tall allowing those in vehicles to see me.   Moreover, the width between the back two wheels allows for a large basket, which is perfect for my shopping trips.   There's now no need to jump into the car ...

  Saving Money at the Grocery Store Can be Delicious As one who has always watched her purse strings, I'm always considering new ways to apply my cash-saving techniques to essential spending.   However, since I love to cook and bake, sticking to my food budget can be a bit tricky.   Through the years, though, I've found how to save and still eat well.   Follow along as I share my five favorite tips to cut my food bill. Shop Sales It's tempting to shop for the food you crave, but it is often a budget buster.   I find it best to wait until my favorite food is on sale.   Each week I plan my menus around grocery store sales.   For example, this week the market has rump roast, carrots, kale, and eggs on sale--$14 total.   One night, I will roast the meat with carrots and a few potatoes I had in the pantry.   I'll serve it with sautéed kale.   Leftovers will go into a soup with beans and in a pastry for pasties for two other meals. ...

  Three Steps to a Fuller Wallet Not many of us can earn more than our current income.   As a small-business owner, mine is based on what the market will bear...with little wiggle room.   Of course, I can create new products or work longer hours.   Nevertheless, I am ultimately bound by customer’s discretionary spending—as many small business owners are.   In my 20+ years as a small-business owner, I have learned that it isn’t what I make, it’s how I spend that adds to my bottom line.   Consequently, even if many of my expenses are set in stone, I do chisel away at my discretionary spending.   Follow along as I share my tips for spending less to earn more. Avoid the Frivolous Ignoring my passions is difficult sometimes, especially when it comes to visiting my fav, Starbucks .   I adore sitting at an outdoor table enjoying a cappuccino and watching the world go by.   Still, this can be a huge budget buster considering each drink costs...