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Everyday Etiquete for Office Life Getting along with the boss
What bosses want is fairly simple. They want good employees? ? loyal,hardworking team players,in a nutshell1. Beyond this, what they expect in terms of deference2 is often more subtle and left to the employee to discern3. The amount of deference bosses expect varies from office to office, but here are some general guidelines:
* Show respect by letting your boss go through doors and exit elevators ahead of you.
* Be slow to use first names.Until a boss tells you to call him “ John” instead of “ Mr.Leland,” stick with the title,especially if you're young and newly hired.If the boss doesn't tell you what to call him, and you notice that everyone uses his first name,then after a few weeks or months on the job,you can switch to it,too.
* Let the boss take the lead in conversation. This doesn't mean you never start a conversation or that you don't say good morning, just that most of the time you take your cue from4 her. In general, bosses get to set the tone, time, place, and content of your talks. It's presumptuous5 for a mailroom clerk (or almost any other employee) to take it upon himself 6 to discuss golf, for example, with the chairman of the board while they're sharing an elevator.
What makes a good employee?
There are ten simple rules that will make you beloved of bosses, fellow workers, and customers alike:
1. Be there when you're supposed to be. Show up on time and stay until quitting time. If you've ever called a business five minutes before closing and gotten an employee who'd already gone home mentally,you know what this is about. Stay on the job until it's time to leave.
2. Be dependable. If you say you'll do something, then do it. Others are counting on you.
3. Meet deadlines. Others may need your work before they can do theirs.
4. Be a team player. Don't go to the boss with every little criticism of a co-orker. All around, it's easier to work with others than against them, and workplaces should be team-oriented.
5. Keep your private life out of the workplace as much as possible. Obviously you can't do this every minute,but it's still better to keep outside interference to a minimum.
6. Be courteous to everyone--the “ small” people as well as the bigwigs7.
7. Be fair to everyone. Treat everyone the same,regardless of gender, religion, race--or personality.
8. Respect others' privacy. Don't read a co-worker's mail or go through someone's desk unless it's absolutely necessary to do so.
9. Don't gossip. Sound like a funny rule for office life? Well, lots of offices are hotbeds8 of gossip, and lots of damages get done. Good employees skip9 the gossip circuit10.
10. Accept criticism graciously. Try to avoid taking it personally, and use it to improve your performance. |
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