It looks like COVID-19 is going to last a lot longer than we expected or hoped. Though it has done more than its share of harm; health practitioners have advised that we may need to create a new set of ‘normal practices’ and get back to work, school and well…our life! While the medical experts prescribe the best health practices, the necessary dietary practices and governments deploy methods to control the use of public facilities, here is the etiquette you may need to learn and adopt in the ‘new normal’ in the corporate world.
01. Maintain High Levels of Productivity
No matter where you are, if you had maintained or maybe even increased your levels of productivity, you would need to physically be in office a lot less. Read our article on ‘Working from Home – Staying Productive’ for more insights. http://colombotimes.net/working-from-home-wfh-staying-productive/
This constant level of productivity will help you, your family and your company largely, as you could be earmarked to work from home regularly. This reduces the strain on the office resources and allows those who do come to office to maintain a healthy distance between themselves in the office floor, lunch room, elevators and meeting rooms.
02. Sanitize Before You Sit
Go to office early, go through the temperature checks and sanitization procedure spelled out by the company and keep a few minutes for yourself to freshen up before starting work. Ideally, you should not venture towards your seat until you have finished sanitizing yourself and possibly what you took to office. The last thing you want is to be known as the ‘one who defied the COVID guidelines’ in office.
03. Greet and Eat from a Distance
If you used to walk up to your colleagues to say ‘Hi’ or had a habit of sharing food from the same box, the time has come to stop both those practices. Greet from afar and if it is your first encounter, clasp your hands instead of shaking hands. Sit two seats away from everyone in the lunchroom and if you wish to converse with your colleagues, make sure you stick to generic topics that would not be seen as offensive, inappropriate or too personal. Don’t expect other people to tune you out while you gossip with your lunch pal who is two seats away.
04. Use Your Own Phone All the Time
There must be a telephone assigned to your desk at office and you may also have a mobile phone given by the office – use them. In fact, use them liberally. Avoid walking up to your colleagues and completely stop using telephone devices that do not belong to you. Don’t even ask people for permission to use their phones; it shows lack of situational awareness and professionalism.
05. Entering Work Spaces of Others
Similar to how you would not enter a person’s cubicle until you are given permission after you knock, make sure that you warn those who do not have a cubicle of your impending visit. Stay a few metres away and ask whether you could have a word with them in person, if they permit, you may walk up closer or sit where they gesture you to. Please don’t saunter up to people and breathe down their necks – this was always prohibited and now, even more so.
06. Meet Virtually
Whether it is your client or your debtor, treat them with respect and always allow them to choose a virtual meeting over a physical meeting. Though one must push to get things done in business, one must not come across as pushy and nonchalant.
07. Be Sensitive About the Pandemic
Sarcasm and inappropriate jokes about the pandemic need to be avoided; millions have been affected and the insensitivity could look both crude and cruel. Definitely not the characteristics of a person that one wants to do business with.
08. Wear a Mask
The purpose is to prevent others from catching it, in case you have caught the bug and vice versa. Respect it, instead of ripping your mask off every two seconds. You can be heard through it – the mask only filters germs, unfortunately, not anyone’s voice, so keep it on as you speak.
There may be other laws, rules and requests made by the health services or the government and those full of etiquette will always abide by them. Law breaking is for rebels, not for sophisticated and well-mannered professionals.
Till I return with ‘Full of Etiquette’ next week, stay safe and be smart!
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Praveeni Jayasekera is the Founder and Editor of fullofetiquette.com; she is a regular advocate on the subject. She is an ACMA, CGMA; holds a BSc. Economics and Management; PG in IT and Diploma in Social Sciences. She is employed full time in the capacity of Chief Operating Officer at CL Synergy (Private) Limited; a Sri Lankan freight forwarding company. She is an ardent fan of the written word and has compiled content for numerous websites for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes, corporate profiles and blogs. She has experience in training corporate professionals on customer service and business etiquette. She conducts coaching sessions on etiquette for school children every now and then.
