Manners in Irish Business

Welcome to the winter ezine from Business Performance Perspectives Ltd. The focus of this ezine is on the results of the 2008 Manners in Irish Business Survey.

The business etiquette survey was conducted on the www.pamelafay.ie website over the period of four weeks in October/November 2008.

During that time there were 130 complete responses to the survey.

Please see the results enclosed with short commentary.

Please note if you would like to discuss the results in more detail, drop me an email to pamela@pamelafay.ie

In this issue:

1. Survey Headlines
2. Trends
3. The Manners of Others
4. Table Manners
5. Bad Language
6. Alcohol Consumption
7. Dress Code
8. What is Rudeness?
9. The Value of Manners

Survey Headlines:

• 100% of respondents value manners in their business dealings
• 71% have been embarrassed by the behaviour of a work colleague
• 55% believe that rudeness in business is increasing
• 26% of respondents would move their business elsewhere if they were on thereceiving end of bad manners
• 40% of people would mention their positive experience to other people if they are treated well by a business
• 40% would refer others to a business that has treated them well and 15% would go out of their way to do business with a company that has treated them well
• 85% believe that manners are more important in challenging economic times

Trends:

Are manners more or less important in challenging economic times?

• 85% said more important
• 15% said the same
  

Do you think rudeness in business is increasing, decreasing or staying the
same?

• 55% said increasing
• 8% said decreasing
• 37% said no change

This result shows that manners and customer service should be a focus area for each business manager in 2009 to ensure that their team is at all times focusing on the needs of customers and clients and meeting those needs in a mannerly fashion.

The Manners of Others:

Have the manners of a colleague ever made you feel uncomfortable or embarrassed in a working environment?

• 71% said yes
• 29% said no

The most common examples of bad behaviour given by respondents were: bad language, interrupting meetings by taking phone calls, taking too much alcohol leading to inappropriate behaviour, smelling of drink at work, bad table manners, the use of bad jokes, the use of racist or sexist jokes or comments, being too personal with colleagues or clients, yawning in meetings, personal hygiene issues, aggressive behaviour and arriving late to meetings. Many respondents were embarrassed by a more senior person in their business and did not take action as a result.

Table Manners:

Are good table manners important in Irish business?

• 98% said yes
• 2% said no
  

Is punctuality important in Irish business?

• 97% said yes
• 3% said no

Good table manners and punctuality are two fundamental qualities of a well mannered business person. Both qualities show respect for the person that you are meeting. If you think that you are going to be late for an appointment, always call beforehand to let the person know.

Bad Language:

Is it acceptable to use bad language in work?

• 15% said yes
• 85% said no

Etiquette is based on three things, your appearance, your behaviour and how you communicate. If you do use bad language, the problem is that you don't know who you are offending and it affects your credibility as a business professional. Many people say that it is okay to use bad language with colleagues but not in front of clients but remember that walls have ears. In the 2007 survey only 4% said that it was acceptable to use bad language. Does this mean that the acceptability of bad language is increasing?

Alcohol Consumption:

Is it acceptable to consume alcohol at a business event?

• 53% of respondents said yes
• 29% of respondents said only when it is an in-company event with colleagues
• 18% of respondents said no

My guide on consuming alcohol is that no more than two alcoholic drinks should be consumed at a business event. No matter how social your business is, it is still business. As individuals we all do know our limits but ensure that if you are going to be taking a drink at a business function that you have had a good lunch or early dinner before consuming alcohol.

Dress Code:

What dress code are you required to wear at work?

• 25% of respondents wear a business suit.
• 24% wear business casual.
• 40% wear a combination of business suit and business casual.
• 11% wear other.
  

Do you think that a casual Friday policy is a good idea?

• 60% said yes
• 40% said no

How you dress in work should be to a large extent determined by the expectations of your clients. If you are going to dress differently to the industry standard just ensure that you are consistent in your approach. Clients and customers want to know what to expect when they are meeting with you.

What is Rudeness?

Participants were given a number of options to define rudeness; they could choose more than one definition:

• 85% defined it as an abrupt voice tone or rude language.
• 77% said rudeness was someone wasting time.
• 75% said rudeness was someone being rude on the telephone.
• 73% defined it as indifference or inattentiveness.
• 71% said it was people not returning calls or emails.
• 62% defined rudeness as a lack of follow up on commitments made

There was broad agreement on what rudeness is. At all times business people need to ensure that they are looking after clients and customers. We should always be trying to meet or exceed customer expectations. It does not take any more time to be nice that it does to be rude and it is one of the things in life that is still free.

Participants were asked what behaviours they valued most in business:

• 71% said that it was someone being helpful, even if it was not their job.
• 70% said that it was efficient service.
• 66% said that they valued someone who honours their commitment to response or call back
• 55% said that they valued a friendly greeting

The Value of Manners:

Participants were how they would respond to being treated well by a business. They were only able to choose one response.

• 40% would refer others to the company.
• 40% would mention their positive experience to other people.
• 15% would go out of their way to do business with the company.
• 5% would take no response.
  

I often get asked whether manners make a difference to actual sales and referrals. These responses show the real value of manners to a business.

Positive word of mouth is the most important sales tool that there is.

What action would you take if you were on the receiving end of bad manners?

• 8% would do nothing.
• 50% would give feedback to the individual themselves.
• 16% would report it to the individual's manager.
• 26% would move their business elsewhere.

The most interesting figure here it the 50% that would give feedback to the person themselves. This figure has risen from 32% last year. I think that this shows that we are not willing anymore to accept bad service and will speak up now whereas in years gone past we would hold off on saying anything.

Overall the results show us that all things being equal, people will do business with people that they like. Manners are an integral part of life. They show respect for other people. As well as making life more pleasant, manners can make good business sense too.

Feedback

I would be delighted to receive your feedback on any aspect of this e-zine. Please email Business Performance Perspectives on info@pamelafay.ie.