The Internet is a wonderful place when it comes to suggestions on how you should behave in all sorts of environments. If someone tells you that you cannot wear bikinis for breakfast, someone else will point out a situation where wearing anything but a bikini will make you seem overdressed. Imagine wearing a Kasper three-piece suit at one of Vijay Mallya’s Kingfisher jamborees. You’ll be left feeling like small beer.
Then there are instructions on how to walk on the streets. “A gentleman, whether walking with two ladies or one, takes the curb side of the pavement. He should never sandwich himself between them.” That’s Emily Post. If you are walking with two women, one of whom is your wife, never walk next to your wife.
There is a whole treasure chest on how to walk with two dogs. “If the two dogs you are walking don’t get on well, maybe it would be better to take them out at different times.” There are laws and there are rules and an ever-changing natural protocol. Indian laws can be zany. Section 20 of Chapter III of the Factories Act deals with the all-important subject of spittoons. Spitting is of historical interest. Today’s offices have a new set of bugbears. Topping the list is the mobile phone. Nobody bothers to put their phones on silent mode. And the volume level of any conversation makes you wonder if the other party is in Outer Mongolia. “Etiquette in the workplace has never been more important than in these competitive times,” says Debrett’s, the last word on British social skills. “Popularity in the office and with clients reaps great rewards. Support and encourage your colleagues, manage a meeting with confidence and charm, and conform to the working model and you’ll enjoy personal and professional success.”
BUGS IN THE OFFICE
The most irritating co-worker habits (%)
Talking loudly on the phone 36
Loitering around a colleague’s desk 23
Eating food with strong odours 15
Keeping a messy workplace 14
Leaving the phone 8
ringer on loud
Source: Accountemps
Note: People citing the reason as most irritating
