Kate says…

Reading a summary of Twitter etiquette yesterday got me thinking about politeness in business – one of my personal soap boxes, as it happens. Courtesy really does cost nothing (yes, you DO have the half-second spare that it’ll take to hit that “reply” key), and I also believe that what goes around really does come around!

We’ve all worked with people who aren’t “nice to know” – from the colleagues who front up your ideas as their own, to the customers who only return your calls or emails when they want you to do something for them. Apart from being plain rude, that doesn’t make good business sense.  One day they’ll be in need of that “going the extra mile” helping hand, whether it’s someone staying late to fix their screw-up, or an extra quick delivery from a supplier.

Mostly, new technologies just make this easier – we’re no longer talking about a Dictaphone / transcription / typing/ posting route to send a quick reply to someone (although I’ll bet there are a few managers out there whose PAs still print out their emails for them….). That said, it can sometimes be surprisingly easy to mess up on an unwritten rule of Twitter or Facebook use, especially if you’re just starting out in integrating them into your work.

A lighthearted look at social media etiquette can be found  here – and please feel free to vent your personal workplace rudeness pet hate below…