Unit 6. Etiquette. Bad manners at work

 

Vocabulary.

Contact-связи

Etiquette-этикет

Hierarchy-иерархия

Organization-организация

Punctual- пунктуальный

Relationship-отношение

Rule-правило

Status-статус

Subordinate-подчиненный

Working environment-производственная среда

 

Etiquette is the name we give to the rules for being polite in a social group. Business etiquette is important for people who often have to make new contacts and build relationships in their work. Politeness can also help to improve the working environment for people in the same office. Some cultures and situations are formal, which means that we have to follow rules; other cultures and situations are more informal.

There are different opinions about what is polite or impolite. Different cultures express politeness in different ways. Even in the same country, there may be different views about what are good manners or bad manners. But the same rules apply everywhere. Politeness is about showing respect for others. It means thinking about other people’s feelings.

In formal situations, we follow standard rules for politeness. In business, we are usually polite when we make new contacts, meet customers or people from other companies. Politeness is often linked to status. We are usually more polite to people above us in the organizational hierarchy. In today’s working environment, most managers show respect for their workers. They might say, we really need to send the report as soon as possible. Could you please do it today? If you consider other people’s feelings, they are usually more willing to work hard, to help and to cooperate.

 

Sydney

We in Sydney are very easy- going and relaxed about rules. But we work hard. We start work pretty early in the morning. Breakfast meetings are common, starting at 8 a.m. And we like to be late! We’re generally very informal. Men often wear a jacket and tie during office hours. But we prefer informal clothes when the weathers hot. For lunch, we usually go out for a sandwich. What do we talk about? Well- it isn’t difficult to talk to Australians- we’re very friendly people. But it helps a lot if you can talk about sport.

London

Most people that I know don’t like to start work early. We hate breakfast meetings! People are always in hurry- so being on time for meetings is important. People think the British are very formal. But things are changing. I think we’re quite informal nowadays. Some men still wear formal business suits- but a lot of people come to work in casual clothes. Lunch is often a quick sandwich and a coffee. After work, we like to go to the pub with colleagues. At the pub you can talk about anything you like!