10 Basic Workplace Etiquettes Nobody Teaches You (But You Learn the Hard Way) No one taught me about basic workplace etiquette while I was working. I learned these things over the years, often the hard way. The points below may or may not add much value initially, but trust me, they can make a difference in your professional life in the future. 1. Never Call Anyone "Sir" or "Ma'am" at Work Whenever you join a company as an intern, fresher, or experienced professional, avoid calling people "Sir" or "Ma'am." Just address them by their names, regardless of their age or position, unless your workplace has a specific naming convention. This is part of maintaining a professional and respectful working environment. Key takeaway: Respect someone through your behaviour and communication, not just by addressing them as Sir or Ma'am. Maintain professionalism regardless of someone's designation or age. 2. Always Be Punctual at the Workplace B...
10 Basic Workplace Etiquettes Nobody Teaches You (But You Learn the Hard Way)
No one taught me about basic workplace etiquette while I was working. I learned these things over the years, often the hard way.
The points below may or may not add much value initially, but trust me, they can make a difference in your professional life in the future.
1. Never Call Anyone "Sir" or "Ma'am" at Work
Whenever you join a company as an intern, fresher, or experienced professional, avoid calling people "Sir" or "Ma'am."
Just address them by their names, regardless of their age or position, unless your workplace has a specific naming convention.
This is part of maintaining a professional and respectful working environment.
Key takeaway:
- Respect someone through your behaviour and communication, not just by addressing them as Sir or Ma'am.
- Maintain professionalism regardless of someone's designation or age.
2. Always Be Punctual at the Workplace
Be punctual at work. Don't make it a habit to arrive 5 or 10 minutes late every day.
Being late once in a while is understandable, but if you're someone who is consistently late, it's time to fix that habit.
Punctuality matters for your own professional growth. It can also influence how people perceive your commitment when it comes to appraisals, professional opportunities, or referrals to other companies.
Key takeaway:
- Respect your working hours.
- Avoid making excuses for being late every day.
- Build a habit of arriving on time.
3. Never Discuss Your Previous Employer's Issues at Your New Workplace
Don't discuss the issues you had with your previous employer regarding salary hikes, joining dates, offers, or any other matters.
Avoid discussing these things even with your colleagues or manager.
This can be risky for your professional future and may come across as unprofessional.
You may not understand its importance now, but in the future, when it comes to retaining you, promoting you, or providing other benefits, the way you communicate about your previous employer may influence how people perceive you.
Key takeaway:
- Don't carry previous workplace issues into your new organisation.
- Avoid unnecessary discussions about your previous employer.
- Keep your professional conversations focused on your current responsibilities and future goals.
4. Be Careful When Discussing an External Job Offer
If you receive an external job offer, ask yourself one question before resigning:
Do I want to get retained by my current company, or do I genuinely want to leave?
If you want to be retained, you can discuss the external offer with your manager.
However, if you've already made up your mind to leave, don't unnecessarily disclose details about:
- The company you're joining.
- The salary package you've received.
- Other benefits offered by the new employer.
You don't have to disclose every detail of your external offer.
Note:
Your manager and HR may ask questions such as:
- Why did you start looking for a job change?
- When did you start looking for another opportunity?
- What made you decide to leave?
- Are you unhappy with your current role or manager?
Even if you have issues with your manager, are unhappy with your work, or have frustration towards the organisation, don't respond emotionally or disclose everything out of anger.
Be diplomatic.
Example:
Instead of saying:
"I'm frustrated with my manager and don't like the work I'm doing."
You can say:
"I was looking to make a career move because I feel I'm ready for a leadership role, or I want to explore opportunities to learn new technologies."
Key takeaway:
- Know whether you want to stay or leave before initiating the conversation.
- Don't make emotional decisions.
- Be diplomatic when communicating your reasons for leaving.
5. Never Speak Badly About Your Manager in Front of Co-workers
Don't say anything negative about your manager in front of your co-workers.
Keep your conversations professional because you never know who is watching or listening to you.
We live in a technology-driven era where almost anything can be recorded or shared.
Something you say casually today could create unnecessary problems for you tomorrow.
Key takeaway:
- Avoid unnecessary gossip about your manager.
- Don't discuss workplace conflicts with everyone.
- Maintain professional boundaries.
So, be as diplomatic as possible at work.
6. How Should You Deal With a Low Performer in Your Team?
This is something many employees experience, especially when they work in a team where responsibilities are not equally distributed.
First, explain the situation to the concerned colleague and ask them to contribute equally to the work.
What happens in many cases is that when you become overloaded with work, you start complaining to your manager. Things can then get worse, and you may have to face unnecessary pressure within the team.
You might also end up disliking how things work in the corporate environment.
So, always remain professional.
If you're facing issues because of a co-worker's lack of contribution, communicate the situation to your manager.
Important Note:
Your manager may not take action unless there is sufficient evidence to support the issue.
They might ask you to gather proof of your co-worker's performance or lack of contribution.
However, you need to be careful about how you handle this situation.
If you're uncomfortable becoming involved in monitoring or collecting evidence against your colleague, communicate your concerns professionally.
You can tell your manager:
"Since you're the manager, you should have visibility into who is contributing and who isn't. I would prefer to focus on my responsibilities rather than monitor my colleagues, as that doesn't align with my professional values."
Key takeaway:
- Communicate workload-related issues professionally.
- Don't turn team performance issues into personal conflicts.
- Focus on your responsibilities.
- Maintain a professional relationship with your colleagues and manager.
Note: This approach can help you avoid unnecessary workplace conflicts and keep the focus on your actual work when discussions about promotions or retention arise.
7. Maintain a Record of Everything You Do at Work
Keep a record of everything you do, even if it's something as simple as changing a password for a co-worker.
For example:
- Changing or resetting passwords.
- Providing access to an application.
- Sharing information with other team members.
- Completing access-related requests.
- Making important changes to systems or applications.
Whenever you complete such a request, maintain an appropriate record through your team's official communication or ticketing process.
For example, you can send an email to your team's distribution list (DL), stating that you received a request from a user and completed the requested activity.
You can include the necessary details without unnecessarily sharing sensitive information.
Example:
"Provided access to the application for Rohit. This is for your information and tracking purposes."
Why does this matter?
Imagine that Rohit makes an unauthorised change to an application, or an incident occurs involving a breach of the code of conduct.
During an audit or investigation, your name might appear because you were the person who provided the access.
However, if there is no record of the request or approval, you may have difficulty demonstrating why you provided that access.
Maintaining proper records helps establish:
- Who requested the access.
- Who approved the request.
- Who performed the activity.
- When the activity was completed.
- Why the activity was performed.
Important Note:
Always follow your company's security, privacy and access-management policies. Don't send passwords, sensitive information or confidential user details to broad distribution lists.
Key takeaway:
- Document your work.
- Maintain proper approvals.
- Use official ticketing and email processes.
- Keep an audit trail of important activities.
This can protect you from unnecessary confusion during audits, escalations and investigations.
8. Keep HR in the Loop When Discussing Salary Hikes and Benefits
Whenever you discuss salary hikes, external offers, retention, or other benefits verbally with your manager, try to involve HR in the conversation where appropriate.
Why?
Because if you discuss something with your manager verbally, there is a possibility that the same information may not be communicated to HR.
Your manager might delay the discussion or may not follow up on the matter.
That's why it's better to maintain written communication.
What should you do?
- Send a professional email after important discussions.
- Keep your manager and HR informed where appropriate.
- Clearly mention what was discussed.
- Request written confirmation of important commitments.
Key takeaway:
Never depend entirely on verbal discussions when it comes to salary hikes, offers, retention or other professional benefits.
Maintain a written record.
9. Don't Discuss Too Much About Your Personal Life at Work
Avoid sharing too many personal details about your life at the workplace.
Not everyone who listens to your personal stories has your best interests in mind.
Sometimes, information shared casually can turn into workplace gossip or unnecessary rumours.
Maintain a healthy boundary between your personal and professional life.
Key takeaway:
- Be friendly, but maintain boundaries.
- Don't share sensitive personal information unnecessarily.
- Avoid becoming part of workplace gossip.
- Be mindful of what you share and with whom.
10. Be Commercial at the Workplace, Not Emotional
This is one of the most important lessons I've learned over the years.
Don't make every workplace situation emotional.
At the end of the day, you're an employee contributing to a business, and the company makes decisions based on its business requirements.
Your role, position or contribution can change whenever business needs change.
You should therefore understand the importance of protecting your own professional interests.
Key takeaway:
- Don't emotionally depend on your employer.
- Focus on your skills and professional growth.
- Maintain your financial independence.
- Always be prepared for new opportunities.
- Don't confuse workplace relationships with personal commitments.
Remember, your career is your responsibility.
Final Thoughts
These are some of the basic workplace lessons that nobody explicitly teaches you when you start your career.
You learn them through experience, mistakes, difficult situations and sometimes unnecessary workplace politics.
You don't have to agree with every point, but understanding these things can help you navigate the corporate world more professionally.
My biggest takeaway:
Be professional, be diplomatic, document your work, maintain boundaries and never stop improving yourself.
Your company is part of your career, but it should never become your entire identity.
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