Manners Still Matter

Manners are of more importance than laws.

~Edmund Burke

Not too many people I know talk about the importance of manners, but here goes…

Good manners can make a big difference in your business or organization.

I was working with a business that had hired people from different cultures, and they were incredibly successful employees. Recently, though, the CEO took one of these workers to a business dinner with a very important client. During dinner, the employee constantly chewed with their mouth open and just made using the silverware an experience the CEO never wanted to go through again. The client was embarrassed as well.

As dismal as this experience was, good manners can be taught. This employee is a great worker, and this situation was simply the result of cultural differences. All that was needed was training.

“Manners” are guidelines for how things should be done, and in our country, we have some pretty good ones that should always be followed. For me, table manners are at the top of this list.

I recently went out to dinner with a group of people at a very fine restaurant. One man in the group held his fork handle with his whole hand. I just could not watch him eat like that, and several other people commented about how offensive it was to them as well. Obviously this was how this man had learned to eat, and he saw no reason to change.

In addition to table manners, saying “please” and “thank you” is also important. These words communicate care and respect, so I have no idea why some people do not use them. They can make a big difference in the tone of a conversation.

One of my particular pet peeves is when people talk too loud. This is not good manners at all, and neither is staring or pointing at other people. Both of these are just unacceptable.

I could go on and on listing more examples of poor manners, but I think these are the main ones. As a manager, it is your responsibility to ensure your staff has good manners especially when dealing with clients

It can be very awkward to approach someone about their poor manners, and many people are hesitant to do so. However, not saying anything does not help the person and only allows the behavior to continue.

If an employee has bad manners, you definitely have to bring it up as their conduct affects your business. In many cities, you can find people who will come in and teach good manners.

If the person with the bad manners is a friend or relative, however, this gets much tougher. Bringing it up could have dire results. My only suggestion is to start a conversation about how important good manners are and how people feel about those who have bad manners. Hopefully they will get the point.

Now go out and make sure you deal with any issues related to manners you have in your organization.

You can do this.