2. People, like diamonds, have basic
market value – but it is only after
they have been polished that the
world will pay their real value.
~William Thourlby
3. Corporations spend millions of dollars on
advertising, training for their personnel, etc.
Employees’ customer service abilities and
etiquette usage can sabotage all of that
We expose our own weaknesses when we fail to
use proper etiquette
Etiquette is really about respect… something we
all desire!
Etiquette requires us to admire the human race.
~Mark Twain
Does Etiquette Matter?
4. Dress for Success
First impressions do count
Fair or not, how you dress will contribute to
others’ opinions of you
Competency, responsibility
Intelligence
Maturity level
Trustworthiness
Dress in your own style, but err on side of
conservatism
5. Dress for Success
Details are important too
Shoes/socks
Accessories and ties
Hair, make-up, nails
Apparel perils
Party clothes are not work clothes
Tattoos & piercings
Business casual is not as casual as you think!
6. Attitude
Leave your personal problems at the door
Never criticize your competition to anyone
Smile when talking on the telephone or in person
to customers and colleagues
Work frustrations
Praise down, protest up
7. Manners
Never use company resources for personal use without
permission
Keep personal business to a minimum during regular
business hours
If someone ‘drops in’ for an unreasonable amount of time, stand
up and move toward the door to signal you’re busy
Maintain personal & professional confidences
Keep your feet on the floor during regular business
hours and don’t sit on another’s desk
Food and gum
Social media, phones/texting, etc.
8. Greetings
Handshake
Practice your handshake!
Stand approximately 1 arm’s length apart
Introductions
Person of authority/age first
Client to supervisor
Female to male
Use first names only once asked to do so (Ms. for women)
Nametags on the right
9. Social Functions
Invitations
Always acknowledge
Bring/send small gifts when a guest in someone’s home
Always thank the host/hostess when you arrive & leave
Mixing & Mingling
Have an ‘itinerary’ and designate arrival/departure times
Size up the room, approach individuals who are alone
Don’t monopolize, ask open-ended questions, listen!!
Business Cards
Accept, study, file (or leave on desk during conversation)
10. Being a Good Guest
Wait until the host/hostess takes his/her first bite
before beginning
Do not ask for food that has not been presented &
eat what is prepared (give advance notice of
allergies, etc.)
Help prepare food and clean up
Be flexible
Remove shoes when entering a home (or wipe
well)
Never place feet on furniture
Always use coasters for hot, cold, or wet items
11. Basic Table Manners
Never:
Request ‘to-go boxes’
Smoke, indulge in alcohol or excessive eating
Season your food before tasting it
Push or stack plates
Always:
Ask others to pass items out of reach
Notify hosts (in advance) of dietary needs
Try all food
Use proper posture
Follow the lead of the host/hostess
12. Utensils
Remember: Outside-In
Forks
Spoons
Knives
Glasses, coffee cup
Plates: Butter, salad, dessert, chargers
Silverware mishaps
Utensil placement during & after meal
Once used, it never touches the table
No utensils left in items that aren’t flat
13. Odd Issues
Drinks
Use coasters
Balance on plate, only ½ full
Buffets
Napkins
Soup
Bread and meat (& inedible items)
Passing Items
Used utensils
Cracker wrappers – top of soup bowl/salad plate
Sugar wrappers – fold & place under saucer edge
What is a charger anyway?
14. Gifting
Always follow your company’s gifting policy
when exchanging gifts with co-workers
Be discreet; exchange gifts away from the office
if possible
If supervisors give gifts, all must be equal
Employees are not expected to reciprocate, but
small gifts may be presented (or pool funds)
If gifts are exchanged, typically stick to under
$20
Maintain policies, but always be grateful
15. Quality of Work
How good does your work have to be? What
percentage of customers should we try to please?
90%? 95%? How about 99.9%?
99.9% Accuracy =
At least 20,000 wrong prescriptions per year,
Two short or long landings at a major airport per day,
500 incorrect surgical operations per week, and
2,000 lost articles of mail PER HOUR!
We could not accept 99.9% in many fields…What do we
expect with regard to ourselves?
16. Problem Solving at Work
If you fail to meet expectations, you will get dissatisfied
customers/supervisors…if you meet expectations, you
will get indifferent customers/supervisors
You must exceed expectations
If you can not solve the problem, find someone who can
Be proactive…seek out & solve problems
Take personal responsibility (but don’t take it personally)
Always explain what you can do for the customer, not
what you can’t do
Don’t say “I’m sorry” unless you mean it
Never place blame on anyone else…Provide solutions,
not excuses
17. Customer Service
Most people are not rude or discourteous…just
indifferent
No eye contact
Talking to others while assisting a customer
Talking ABOUT someone else in ear-shot of a customer
Working on other tasks while customers wait
Pointing to an item or room rather than showing/taking
customer to it
Failing to immediately greet a customer
Responding “I don’t know” without attempting to find out
Failure to follow through with promises
18. Telephone Etiquette
Answering the telephone
Include company name, division/department, &
your name
Be the last to hang-up
Making calls
Introduce yourself and state your business, even if you
know you don’t have the person with whom you need to
speak
The person you CALLED always has priority, even over
people who walk into your office
19. Telephone Messages
Leave complete messages
Chance of reaching the person you’re calling is 1 in 6
Always take thorough messages
Complete name (may know several ‘Steves’)
Reason for call and information needed
Return telephone number & best time to call
Date & time of call
Initials of person taking message
Respond to all messages within 1 business day
20. Cell Phones
Be careful about the volume of your voice…and of
your ring tone!
Turn off when you are at work unless clients have
your cell number
Never use in lectures/classes, at concerts,
movies, or anywhere you would not talk to your
neighbor at full volume
If a call is lost due to a poor connection, the
person who originated the call calls back
21. Good manners sometimes means
simply putting up with other
people’s bad manners.
~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
22. Speaker Phones
Always ask the person on the other line for their
permission to put them on speaker phone
State reason for using speaker phone
Never start a call with the person already on speaker
phone (if someone does this to you, state, “I’m sorry, I
can’t hear you well. Could you please pick up?”)
Introduce all people in the room
Use name before speaking (“This is Patricia, _______”)
Notify the other party whenever someone new comes into
the room or when someone leaves
23. Correspondence
Company letterhead
Company business only
Thank you notes
Keep notecards on hand
Within two weeks…but later is better than never
Respondez s'il vous plait (Please reply)
Do it and keep it
RSVP within one week (or by date if listed)
24. Email
Email is company property so use for
business purposes only
Remember every single message has the
chance of being forwarded…intentionally or
unintentionally (never reply in frustration)
Do not mass mail/forward at work
Always include a ‘Subject’ heading
Keep messages short; use bullets
25. Email
DO NOT USE ALL CAPS OR EXCESSIVE
PUNCTUATION!!!!
Utilize spell-check and re-read your
messages before sending
‘Reply’ vs. ‘Reply All’
CC and BCC sparingly
Message notification
26. Faxes
Call before sending anything longer than 7
pages, even if the fax is expected
Always include telephone numbers
If you receive a fax not intended for you,
call the sender and/or the person to whom
it was intended
27. Meeting Planning
Plan and communicate in advance:
Goals/objective and agenda
Decide on participants-no warm bodies
Confirm one working day before the meeting
Be on time (but not too early) & stay throughout
Check out facilities, technology in advance
Be courteous & don’t fidget
No gadgets!
Thank attendees & send minutes within 48 hours
28. Cubicle/Lab Code of Ethics
Maintain low speaking voices
Walk to cubicles to speak with colleagues
Conduct personal business via cell phone
away from the cubicle
Wear minimal perfume/cologne
Refrain from smoking immediately before
going in to work and do not smoke in
enclosed spaces to minimize smoke odors
29. Flu Season…
If you have a fever or are coughing and sneezing
frequently, use your sick leave or take extreme
precaution to avoid spreading your illness
If you feel a cough or sneeze coming on, cover
your mouth with your left hand or, better yet, the
inside of your elbow
Excuse yourself after sneezing
Wash your hands often!
30. International Etiquette
Be courteous; ask for clarification if necessary
Invest in resources if you travel frequently
Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands by Morrison & Conaway
American flag etiquette
Anthem - Stand at attention with right hand over heart
Have nothing in your hands
Men remove hats
Parades - Stand & face flag, hand over heart
Flag display - Sunrise to sunset, good weather only
International citizens stand but don’t salute
31. In the Air…
Board quickly; carry your luggage in front of you & check
bulky luggage
Make your way to your seat quickly & don’t dominate the
restroom time
Listen to safety rules & allow others to do so as well
Allow passenger in the middle to have both arm rests
Do not recline your seat; if you must, be sure to ask first
Don’t chatter away to those who don’t wish to talk…when you
do talk (or listen to music or watch movies), do so quietly
Thank the flight attendants & pilots upon disembarking
Don’t block others at the luggage carousel
32. Theatre & Concerts
Arrive on time & stay throughout (don’t save seats)
Bring your own kleenex and cough drops
Turn off cell phones and do not talk during show
Do not stand up or do anything to obstruct others’
views
Applaud properly
Recitals, operas, ballets – don’t clap at every lull
Jazz or rock – express exuberance
Award ceremonies & graduations – be dignified
Weddings & other religious occasions – no clapping
Standing ovations – give if deserved but don’t feel obligated
33. Too many rules??
Remember that…
Manners are a sensitive awareness of the
feelings of others. If you have that
awareness, you have manners…no matter
what fork you use! ~Emily Post
34. To contact us…
UIUC School of Chemical Sciences
Career Counseling & Placement
Services
105 Noyes Laboratory
217-333-1051
http://careers.scs.illinois.edu/
Patricia Simpson, Director
plblum@uiuc.edu