Open Forum

I was interested to see how many of the etiquette rules I was unknowingly (or maybe knowingly) breaking! Ha.

but I actually agree with most of them. I find dress code an interesting one. After all, Comfort is King. And early on, I didn't put much thought into dressing up for work. But as time has gone by, I have felt the psychological benefit of actually "dressing for work," even from home. This is especially true if I have meetings in which I intend to turn on the camera. I do think that wearing a good, clean shirt (and yes even nice pants though it won't show on camera) helps keep me in a work mindset. I totally agree with their comments about maintaining a public-facing persona.

As to the image control etiquette, I DO find crazy backgrounds distracting, and have found myself distracted by in-office participants who's cameras are picking up other work cubes or colleagues walking by in the background. I can even remember meetings where people left to answer the door, to get something from the kitchen, or respond to their pets. One meeting organizer even took us on an impromptu tour of her house!! These are all minor offenses, in my book. But I think I'd agree its better to avoid them.

Oddly enough, in a lot of my meetings, many people chose to remain hidden. This is more true in larger meetings. So that in a meeting of 18 people, only the principle four or five will be on camera. But even in my more immediate team meetings, sometimes we will all stay off camera. I guess we are a shy bunch. (or else they are all adopting a more casual dress code than I!!)

I had a real problem eating or snacking during meetings early on. It was just too easy to munch on some snacks while listening. After a few gaffs when I accidentally left my microphone on, I've tried to be better about this. I had one boss who called me out for it, as she found it rude. She was probably right. 

The body language section was particularly illuminating. I have violated almost every one of their suggestions at some time. This guide has served as a good reminder to me to be more mindful of this important avenue of communication. 

And I learned a new term, Hot desking! Once a week, I am hot desking. wow.

So many of these etiquettes are easy to break (working in the background while in a meeting, looking at your phone, having bad body language, etc. etc.) I am sure people will agree or disagree with different ones to varying degrees. But I actually found it a decent guide. 

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Arnie Grahl

Original Message:
Sent: 02-07-2023 10:00
From: Taylor Evans Ghosal
Subject: A Guide to Hybrid Work Etiquette

Did you know there's a new etiquette guide for hybrid work?

The guide was created by Debrett's, a London-based etiquette leader founded in 1769, in conjunction with Poly, an audio and video company. It's a quick read that gives tips on behavior at the office and when you're working from home. It covers everything from the importance of audio-visuals on a Zoom call, to punctuality, to how to end a call without being awkward. 

The advice is pretty straightforward, but some of it may cause debate. Do you really need to dress up for a video call if you're joining from home? Should you avoid eating in all video calls, as the guide suggests, or are there exceptions? Does your video background matter that much?

Connect community, I'm curious to hear your thoughts. What do you think of the hybrid work etiquette guide? Is it a good refresher, or over the top?

What rules would you include?

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Taylor
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