Career Advice: Rude People Foul The Nest At Work
Article by Ramon Greenwood
Building a successful career is no walk in the park. Competition is fierce. Pressure and stress are always lurking around, ready to make things more difficult. Tempers get frayed.Good manners are often overlooked in this environment. It doesn't take a career coach to know that rude people foul the nest for everyone. By the same token those who are civil and considerate in the work place have a leg up on the competition. Here are some examples of rudeness one often encounters on the job.
Bad Telephone Manners
One of my clients for career advice declared: "One of the rudest, most irritating case of bad manners is when a co-worker stands in the doorway of my office, while I'm on the telephone, and expects me to read his lips or decipher his hand signals. Then when he walks away, I have no idea what he was trying to communicate; and I have lost the train of thought I had with the client on the line.
"For all I know, the client on the phone could have threatened to fire us or my co-worker might have been telling me the building is being evacuated."
Another example: You are a guest in another person's office when your host constantly interrupts your discussion to take telephone calls.The lack of consideration is compounded when your host assures, "This will only take a minute," and then chatters on for ten times that long, including an update on his golf score. You are left sitting, pretending you are not listening to what is being said.What about the times you answer the telephone and your caller's secretary says, "Please hold for Mr. Jones. He will be with you in a moment." Five minutes later, you are still holding the line. This can be particularly annoying when the caller wants to sell you something.
No less irritating is the secretary who demands to know who you are and what you want before she will put you through to her boss
Bad manners on cell-phones are too numerous to even begin to list.
Bad-mannered Bosses
Bosses can be among the rudest and most inconsiderate people in the workplace.
For example, your boss asks you to come to his office at 9 o'clock. He wants a status report on your top-priority project. You arrive at 8:57 sharp because you don't want to keep him waiting. His secretary informs you he is running a few minutes behind schedule.
"Just have a seat," she days. "He will be with you shortly."
At 9:45, she reassures you that Mr. Big is about ready. At 10:15, you are ushered in to see him.
"I only have about 15 minutes until my next meeting," he says. "Just give me an abbreviated version of your report?"
More Rudeness
Another chronic breach of etiquette has to do with late arrivals at meetings. How often do you drop everything else to get to the session on time, only to have to wait for two or three of the other participants to show up? Sometimes they have to be called and reminded that the group is waiting. When they do come in, it is with little more than a flip, "Sorry, guys, I got tied up on the 'phone. You know Pete, you can't get him off the line."Common courtesy is ignored at meetings when there are several side conversations going on at the same time someone is making a presentation.
What about the boss who takes the occasion of a staff meeting to chew out to a subordinate? Bad manners plus.
And, by the way, whatever happened the common courtesies of "Please" and Thank you"
3 Steps To Minimize Damage
Here are three steps you can to minimize the negative impact of rudeness and help build a successful career.
1. Practice good manners. Set an example.
2. Accept the fact that there will always be rude people who would disrupt your career if you let them. Consider the source and then ignore these people.
3. If the rudeness is more than you can tolerate, speak up. Go into your more diplomatic mode and tell the person involved that you find their rude practices to be disruptive to your best effort to do your job.
I can't promises you this career advice will put a stop to rudeness, but you will feel better in made a common sense effort to deal with it.
To subscribe to Ramon Greenwood's free semi-monthly newsletter and blog please go to http://www.commonsenseatwork.com> His advice comes from a world of experience, including serving as Senior Vice President of American Express, an entrepreneur, professional director, career coach and author.
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