Managers, Employees Agree on Most Common Workplace Etiquette Breach

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Accountemps

May 28, 2015, 08:11 ET

Gossip Takes the Cake as Biggest Office Offence

TORONTO, May 28, 2015 /CNW/ - The rules you were taught in elementary school — pay attention, don't be late, and if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all — also hold true in the workplace, a new survey from Accountemps confirms. It turns out managers and employees have similar views when it comes to issues of etiquette. The most common civility culprit cited by chief financial officers (CFOs) is gossiping about others in the office (30 per cent), with workers also pointing to gossiping about colleagues (31 per cent) as the most prevalent breach of workplace etiquette.  

The surveys were developed by Accountemps, the world's first and largest specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals, and conducted by an independent research firm. They include responses from more than 270 CFOs from a stratified random sample of Canadian companies and more than 425 employees age 18 and older who work in an office environment.

CFOs and workers were asked, "Which one of the following is the most common breach of workplace etiquette committed by your staff/coworkers?"

CFOs

Workers

Gossiping about others in the office                    

30%

31%

Not responding to calls or emails in a timely way

16%

19%

Being distracted during meetings (e.g., checking a smartphone, writing emails)

14%

18%

Running late to or missing meetings

10%

14%

Not crediting others when appropriate

10%

12%

Criticizing others publicly

6%

7%

Staff members do not commit etiquette breaches

8%

0%

Don't know

5%

0%

99%

101%

*Responses do not total 100 per cent due to rounding.

View an infographic of the full research findings. Individual images are available in addition to the full infographic.

"Poor workplace etiquette can be detrimental to overall office morale and even productivity, especially as companies are increasingly prioritizing teamwork and collaboration," said Dianne Hunnam-Jones, Canadian president of Accountemps. "Showing consideration for colleagues goes a long way in ensuring a positive work environment and mutual respect for business goals."

Hunnam-Jones added, "Disrespecting colleagues through gossip or not paying attention in meetings could reflect badly on those involved, and may ultimately impact career growth."

Accountemps offers four tips for displaying proper workplace etiquette:

  1. Be present. No matter how many deadlines you're up against, give your full attention during group discussions. You'll be surprised how much more effective you are in meetings and conversations when focusing only on the topic at hand.
  2. Avoid the rumor mill. Don't participate in office gossip; it's just another distraction that can reflect poorly on your character and damage others' careers.
  3. Be responsive. Don't let your inbox fill up with emails or voicemails. Set aside time each day to respond to messages so you can attend to the rest of your workload uninterrupted.
  4. Give credit where credit is due. No one likes a glory hog. Acknowledge those who help you along the way, and they'll likely do the same for you.  

About Accountemps
Accountemps, a Robert Half company, is the world's first and largest specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals. The staffing firm has more than 340 offices worldwide. More resources, including online job search services and the Accountemps blog, can be found at accountemps.com. Follow @RobertHalf_CAN on Twitter for additional workplace news and hiring trends.

SOURCE Accountemps