Missed Manners
by Amanda C. Kooser
reprinted with permission from the Microsoft Small Business
Center
Some tech junkies
tend to neglect etiquette in the office. E-mail is still one
of the leading culprits, but newer arrivals like BlackBerrys
and wireless earpieces are causing their share of social
snafus. "Technology should not be an opportunity to
multitask conversations," says technology etiquette expert
Laurie Puhn, president of
Laurie
Puhn Communications . "Anytime you're [doing that], it
is rude and unacceptable."
The ability to
instantly send and receive e-mails and messages on your
BlackBerry, PDA or smartphone requires etiquette attention.
Put that BlackBerry away during meetings to let others know
you're giving your full attention to the proceedings. Cell
phone related violations are a major source of complaints,
whether it's ringers going off at inappropriate times, loud
speaking voices or the inadvertent sharing of personal
information with anyone in the vicinity. Just because your
Bluetooth headset is unobtrusive doesn't mean you can
interrupt someone you're speaking with to take a call. It's
also polite to pull out your iPod headphones (both of them)
when you're talking to a colleague.
Make a good
impression by being more aware of your tech habits. The old
standards of turning off your cell ringer and using proper
sentences and salutations in e-mails still apply. Finally,
don't hesitate to respectfully bring attention to others'
tech etiquette violations. "Rudeness is on the rise because
we're not realizing these behaviors are rude," says Puhn,
bestselling author of Entrepreneurs can set an example with
their own behavior and by discussing etiquette policies with
their employees.