Do manners matter?

Workplace Etiquette.

Manners don’t cost anything, or so I thought.

But Not having Manners, can certainly Cost.

I came across a funny story recently.

It was a price list at a coffee        shop with the following prices:
    Coffee :   5.00 USD
    A cup of coffee:  3.00 USD
    Good Morning! One cup of coffee,
    please :  1.00 USD

In today’s hybrid  Working, etiquette has taken a whole new meaning.

By now, organisations would have laid down their own ground rules of etiquette for on site and hybrid meetings.

Below are only a few random suggestions.

Be on time, if not a little early.
5 minutes before time, is respectful to all.

The only  exception to being early, could be, if you are the guest speaker.

Focus on giving offline members the best chance to simulate being together.

Start with introductions, making an effort to remember names.

Address people by name, especially those who are offline.

If you are joining remotely, you may need to do something to make a mindshift.

Normally, you would have grabbed a notebook and moved to the meeting room.

A change of attire, doing some stretches, or moving to another location, can help change focus, from work to engagement.

Defer to remote speakers. If you and a remote speaker, speak at the same time, allow the other person to go first.

Be inclusive. Include remote attendees in pre-meeting chitchat.
Directly address questions to them. Especially, since you may not have heard from them for long.

Keep camera on from the start of the meeting. Starting a meeting with blank cameras, can seem very impersonal. Video is very powerful to make a human connection.

Avoid starting a side conversation, with someone in the room, which cannot be heard by the remote team.Chats should be available to all.
Private chats in a team meeting don’t make for good etiquette.

Avoid sharing cameras on site; your may move out of the frame.

Slow down your pace of speaking, so that remote joinees can catch up.

Resist the urge to do work, check your messages etc. If it helps, keep your hands in the video frame.

Don’t leave the room, just as you wouldn’t walk out of an offline meeting – unless absolutely necessary.Don’t blame all tech glitches on connectivity. If you’ve messed up, own up.

Stick around afterwards. Some of the best conversations happen after the meeting  is over.

✔️Please add your own suggestions, experiences and comments below, to take the  conversation forward.