Mind your workplace manners -- it pays

Yahoo News ^ | Thu Jan 15, 9:48 am ET | Miral Fahmy

[BornToBeAmerican]

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Manners maketh the businessman, with a global survey finding Americans and Britons to be the most easily insulted by lack of workplace etiquette, while Australians are among the most offensive.

The survey, by Australian-based international office space provider Servcorp, listed the top five most offensive workplace behaviors as not saying hello or good morning, not offering office guests a beverage, speaking loudly across the room, using swear words and taking calls on mobile phones.

[BornToBeAmerican]

As an exAussie, makes perfect sense to me.

Australians were more ticked off than their international colleagues by business people who don't buy drinks and who don't offer guests beverages.

[dirtboy]

Hmm, one would think passing gas in your cubie would make the top five.

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

Nearly all Australians polled also said they would not think twice about addressing their boss by their first name, something Chinese business people found very rude.

It's funny - at every single place I've worked since grad school, using first names has been the rule, you'd even be asked to do so if you didn't. That actually took a little getting used to.

[School of Rational Thought]

It was a real circus at a client site last year. If fact, the area was referred to as the "nerd circus". People talking at the top of the lungs, even shouting down the halls. Had grown adults running down the halls. One day the particularly large woman, running of course, took a header and went flat on her face.

[Safetgiver]

I absolutely HATE everyone coming down the cubicle hall saying “ Good Morning, Jim... Bob... Mary... Bill.. “ ad nauseum. If I wanted to say good morning to every turd in the room I’d email them, like they do with every question they could just turn their chair around ask me. Am I being too caustic ?

[Hat-Trick]

Many years and a few jobs ago, a good friend and I used to give a fellow co-worker what we called the "canary treatment",on occasion, typically early in the morning before the coffee kicked in, if you know what I mean.

Basically it would involve the comission of flatulence, and if found to be particularly foul, we'd call the co-worker into the office on some false pretense.

Then we'd laugh ourselves silly.

[Julia H.]

They forgot to mention these:
1) Humming, whistling or singing
2) Inability to shut up about politics
3) Sniffling, snorting
4) Bothering others while they’re trying to work
5) Gum-chewing
6) Constant negativity
7) Coming to work contagiously ill

[ApplegateRanch]

taking calls on mobile phones

As opposed to picking up that loudly BRRRRRRRRRRRTing black thing on the counter, and telling the chopped liver standing there, with money in my hand and a transaction half finished, "excuse me, but I have to take this call. It's a customer!"

[Maceman]

I learned everything I need to know about proper work place behavior from Australia's Chopper Reid.