NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Business / Economy / Employment

Q&A: Good workplace manners

Washington Post
24 Apr, 2014 06:20 AM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Photo / Thinkstock

Photo / Thinkstock

Career coach Joyce Russell went online last week to take questions on etiquette in the workplace.

Wardrobe malfunction

Q: I was walking down the hall and though I noticed someone wearing their sweater on inside out. Is it OK to approach strangers at work and point out possible mistakes?

Years ago, I was at a job fair and someone pointed out I had tags on the suit that should be removed. I thought it was a very helpful comment since I was trying to make a good impression.

A: Sure. I think if done in a nice way, they would appreciate it. I know I would!

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Giving notice

Q: I have been in my job a couple years and know that leaving is going to leave my office in the lurch, at least temporarily. How much notice should I give?

A: Ideally, most people give at least two weeks notice, but if you can give more notice (a month or so), it would be really appreciated by the firm. It really depends on the relationships you have with them - would they view this in a positive way and be appreciative or would they be really upset with you?

Mind your manners

Q: How do you tactfully tell someone or a group of people that what they are doing is rude and disrespectful? Or just downright gross, such as cutting their nails at work, slurping soup at their desk, etc.? The list goes on and on!

A; This is tough and it comes up a lot at work. If it happens often, you could privately just ask them if they could refrain from doing it near you. I know it is awkward to do this, but if you never say anything, they will never change.

Discover more

Employment

Paying attention to staff pays off

25 Mar 03:15 PM
Employment

Flexibility high on workers' list

01 Apr 03:15 PM
Opinion

Dealing with bad co-workers

04 Apr 01:35 AM
Opinion

How to build trust at work

17 Apr 09:00 PM

Another thought - is there someone close to them that you could ask to bring it up? That can be a good strategy as well. Others have left notes or cartoons for people with these annoying behaviours, but usually those things do not really seem to work. The person often thinks they are for others, not them.

Read more: How to handle co-workers' annoying habits

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Announcing a pregnancy

Q: I recently got a new job, now I'm wondering when etiquette dictates I tell them about my pregnancy. So far I haven't had any symptoms that impact my performance; and I was considering waiting until after my next doctor's appointment to make sure all is well before I rock the boat, but that won't be until 13 to 14 weeks or so, which seems a bit late.

A: I would still wait. I am sure they will understand when you finally tell them that you were waiting to make sure all was okay. Continue to be a great performer and build your relationships with those in the firm. If you are a strong performer, they will be more inclined to cut you some slack once you do tell them. Be patient - sometimes that is the hardest thing to do.

Chatty Cathy

Q: I'm a very type-B personality and prefer to go to work, do my job and go home. Also, I'm an engineer, so a lot of times I prefer minimal distractions so I can work out problems.

However, there is a lady in the office that walks around and randomly talks to people - myself included. I've tried to disengage from these conversations as quickly as possible; however, I'd like to just avoid them all together. Any advice on how to do so without coming across as a jerk?

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

A: I think you can do this in nice way, and that is what is critical. If she comes by your desk, you can always say "I'd love to talk more, but I need to get back to work now" or "Sorry, I can't talk now, I am working on something complicated that really requires my full attention."

If you are walking by her, you can always smile at her as you walk by, and keep walking. Sometimes at least if you smile, you are being polite even if you do not stop to talk.

The cheque is in the mail

Q: I'm the bookkeeper at a nonprofit that moved just over a year ago. Our new space is larger and we knew it would be a stretch, but believed we would grow to fit it. Due to factors largely beyond our control, it is taking longer than expected to come up to our capacity.

My problem is that people come to me asking when they will get cheques that are due to them. I don't know what to say. "We just don't have it to give you," doesn't seem right. I won't lie to them. Any suggestions as to how I can gently phrase that we are experiencing growing pains, but not to worry long-term?

A: So, are you saying that because the firm is in this larger space, that it doesn't have the money to pay people on time? Someone, whether you or the leader of the nonprofit, needs to inform people about these issues. The nonprofit should not make you be the one to let them know there is no cheque for them. That isn't right.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Plus, the leader needs to be honest about the difficulties the firm is experiencing. Often the employees will be understanding and may even come up with ways to offer additional help. But, if they are not told anything and see these problems with pay, they will become demoralised and look elsewhere.

- Washington Post

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Employment

Employment

Uber grilled in Supreme Court on the status of its drivers

08 Jul 03:23 AM
Premium
Business|economy

18,800 people booked for NZICC; anaesthetists, ophthalmologists the latest

03 Jul 10:39 PM
Property

Ikea opening ‘around Christmas trading period’, plans for traffic mitigation at Sylvia Park

01 Jul 10:57 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Employment

Uber grilled in Supreme Court on the status of its drivers

Uber grilled in Supreme Court on the status of its drivers

08 Jul 03:23 AM

Ruling has the potential to affect others in the gig economy.

Premium
18,800 people booked for NZICC; anaesthetists, ophthalmologists the latest

18,800 people booked for NZICC; anaesthetists, ophthalmologists the latest

03 Jul 10:39 PM
Ikea opening ‘around Christmas trading period’, plans for traffic mitigation at Sylvia Park

Ikea opening ‘around Christmas trading period’, plans for traffic mitigation at Sylvia Park

01 Jul 10:57 PM
Premium
Watch: First look inside City Rail Link’s unique new Te Waihorotiu Station

Watch: First look inside City Rail Link’s unique new Te Waihorotiu Station

30 Jun 03:00 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP