Basic Business Rules 101
By Jane B. Fraser
It doesn’t matter what business you’re in; technical, wait staff, airline attendant, customer service rep, CEO, etc.; the basic business rules stand for EVERYONE. Even if you’re the president of your own company that you built with your own two hands, keeping these rules in mind will keep you in reality, humility and in touch with those around you.
1. The first and most basic rule of business and life is this: If you don’t want it done to you, don’t do it to anyone else. It truly doesn’t matter what position you hold—this is a rule to follow both in business and in life. No one is so important or irreplaceable that they can’t be replaced by someone who treats people respectfully.
2. Most people do not know what their "real" job description is and consequently don't know the boundaries and duties.It should be the job of every person in charge of hiring anyone for any job to explain to the new hire exactly what is expected of them. If there is a Human Resources person, they should have up-to-date job descriptions, a summary of exactly what the job entails, the procedures that need to be followed, and what measure of accountability is expected of the new hire. Leaving any of this up to chance or personal interpretation is asking for trouble.
3. Many people do not understand that perception equals reality to just about everyone, so you need to act accordingly.
Like it not, perception is everything. It may not be fair, but how you are perceived at work really does matter. There’s an old saying: “If you walk down the street arm-in-arm with two clowns, people aren’t going to say ‘oh, look at that smart, cute, savvy gal walking with those two clowns!’
No, they’re going to say ‘look at those three clowns.’” If people at work continually see you yakking with the office gossip, hanging around the break room texting your buddies, taking 2-hour lunches and so on, trust me—you’ll have a rep as a slacker before the end of the day. It’s really common sense; when you’re at work, BE at work in mind, body and attitude.
Like it not, perception is everything. It may not be fair, but how you are perceived at work really does matter. There’s an old saying: “If you walk down the street arm-in-arm with two clowns, people aren’t going to say ‘oh, look at that smart, cute, savvy gal walking with those two clowns!’
No, they’re going to say ‘look at those three clowns.’” If people at work continually see you yakking with the office gossip, hanging around the break room texting your buddies, taking 2-hour lunches and so on, trust me—you’ll have a rep as a slacker before the end of the day. It’s really common sense; when you’re at work, BE at work in mind, body and attitude.
4. Many people don't realize that ANYTHING on the job that they use; computer, phone, printer, etc., are COMPANY PROPERTY and the company has every right to see and hear everything on everyone's computer and phone.
Go to work each day assuming that everything you say, do and have on your computer or say on your phone can be seen and heard by your managers. Keeping this in mind can keep you in a professional frame of mind. Remember that everything you use at work, right down to the pencils, belong to the company. They have every right to monitor the use of their equipment. Play it safe and get in the habit of being professional from the moment you walk into work until the time you buckle your seatbelt to drive home. (Do you really need to be told not to play games, check your Facebook page or send jokes to your friends on company email?)
Go to work each day assuming that everything you say, do and have on your computer or say on your phone can be seen and heard by your managers. Keeping this in mind can keep you in a professional frame of mind. Remember that everything you use at work, right down to the pencils, belong to the company. They have every right to monitor the use of their equipment. Play it safe and get in the habit of being professional from the moment you walk into work until the time you buckle your seatbelt to drive home. (Do you really need to be told not to play games, check your Facebook page or send jokes to your friends on company email?)
5. Most people don't understand that they need to follow through on each thing they do, right to the end, and that they are responsible and accountable for each part of their job. Don’t be a ‘stop at the red light and sit there’ type of worker. Say that your manager asks you to review a business plan to make sure it meets the current technical standards. As you read the business plan, you see that not only is the technical information out of date, but there are several inaccuracies as well. As this document will be seen by all members of staff, the board of directors and all customers, it is critical that it be up-to-date and accurate.
So, knowing all this, do you:
a) Go to your manager and tell him what’s wrong and then just stand there?
b) Go to your manager already prepared with a new business plan that has been updated (by whomever) and is now accurate.
So, knowing all this, do you:
a) Go to your manager and tell him what’s wrong and then just stand there?
b) Go to your manager already prepared with a new business plan that has been updated (by whomever) and is now accurate.
Guess which is the correct answer? Unless you have been expressly forbidden to update the business plan yourself (in which case you’d better have the right people lined up to do it), most managers don’t want to hear that nothing has been done.
6. Many people still believe that fairy tale called "That's not my job."
When in doubt about something you are asked to do that you feel is not part of your job description, politely inquire if this is going to be a one-time thing or will this become part of your duties as outlined by your job description. Do not take on an attitude. At this point in the conversation you are ONLY checking the facts.
When in doubt about something you are asked to do that you feel is not part of your job description, politely inquire if this is going to be a one-time thing or will this become part of your duties as outlined by your job description. Do not take on an attitude. At this point in the conversation you are ONLY checking the facts.
7. Many engineering and other technical folk often have issues with detailed instructions.
Many technical people who have been hired because they are brilliant at what they do honestly do not understand that the rest of us are not at their level of understanding. Their job is to do what they do best, and let the humdrum details be handled by the experts—the technical writers.
Therefore they do not understand the very real consequences that follow inaccurate or sketchy instructions--hundreds of tech help calls, dissatisfied customers, loss of business and loss of revenue (often leading to loss of JOBS). This is exactly why good technical companies absolutely need technical writers. Let the technical experts do their jobs, and let us technical writers handle the details.
Many technical people who have been hired because they are brilliant at what they do honestly do not understand that the rest of us are not at their level of understanding. Their job is to do what they do best, and let the humdrum details be handled by the experts—the technical writers.
Therefore they do not understand the very real consequences that follow inaccurate or sketchy instructions--hundreds of tech help calls, dissatisfied customers, loss of business and loss of revenue (often leading to loss of JOBS). This is exactly why good technical companies absolutely need technical writers. Let the technical experts do their jobs, and let us technical writers handle the details.
8. Too many people act like primates in the workplace. (Please refer to Rule #1.) While you are at work, please do not eat other peoples’ lunches. If you take the last cup of coffee, start another pot. If you spill the entire pot of coffee on the floor, clean it up. If you work in a cubicle, please do not put your phone on speaker. People around you are trying to do their jobs and need to concentrate, plus no one wants to hear your description of your toenail fungus, your hilarious sports jokes, or that your husband/wife doesn’t understand you. You should also refrain from habits that can drive your co-workers crazy, such as clipping your fingernails, drumming your fingers, sighing loudly, yawning loudly (you know who you are!), talking loudly to yourself, and so on.
9. Find out (generally asking is the best way) if the people you work with want their information given to them via conversation or written in an email.
You will save yourself hours and days and weeks of frustration if you keep sending emails to someone who prefers that you talk to them directly. Find out right at the beginning of your employment if your manager is a “hearer” or a “reader.”
You will save yourself hours and days and weeks of frustration if you keep sending emails to someone who prefers that you talk to them directly. Find out right at the beginning of your employment if your manager is a “hearer” or a “reader.”
10. If you find yourself in a toxic environment at work, especially if that atmosphere is accepted by the management….
You have three choices: 1) Try to make a positive change. 2) Learn to live with it and stop complaining about it. 3) Leave. That’s it.
You have three choices: 1) Try to make a positive change. 2) Learn to live with it and stop complaining about it. 3) Leave. That’s it.
11. Now, if you are a woman in business, there are some extra rules of behavior:
a. ‘Nice’ works.
If you have the chance to be nice or kind or polite, do so. Never confuse being nice with being weak or giving up your edge.
If you have the chance to be nice or kind or polite, do so. Never confuse being nice with being weak or giving up your edge.
b. Keep it professional.
You don’t have to like everyone you work with, but you do have to work with them. If there is a conflict you can’t work out, and the usual channels fail, you will never regret keeping the situation professional.
You don’t have to like everyone you work with, but you do have to work with them. If there is a conflict you can’t work out, and the usual channels fail, you will never regret keeping the situation professional.
c. Don’t play the girly card. If things don’t go your way in some situation at work, don’t get all girly about it. No crying, no pouting, no foot-stamping, no flouncing out of the office, no drama—please. Do this once and you can be sure that no one will take you seriously again.
d. The sexual harassment card. Be extremely careful when it comes to any behavior toward you that can be interpreted as sexual harassment. I’ll just say that in my experience I have seen this go very badly for the women who have gone to Human Resources with a sexual harassment complaint. Even if you play this completely by the company policies guide, it can easily backfire on you. Even if you have documentation and witnesses to the behavior, it’s going to depend on who knows who, and how valuable the “who” is, male or female. Even if you do win, you’re a marked woman from then on, and you may be earmarked for what the Brits politely call “being made redundant” (laid off, fired, etc.) at a later time. It goes without saying that this isn’t fair at all, but it often happens and you have to weigh your options (see options a-c above).
e. Leave the F-bombs at home. Swearing at work, especially if you’re female, doesn’t go over well. Oh, sure, men will laugh and say they love a gal who’s earthy, but in the main trash talk at work just makes you look (and sound), well, trashy.
f. Learn to read body language.
Don’t you love people who waltz by your cube, see you sitting there working your handquarters off--and want to yak endlessly about their weekend, the latest episode of “All My Trials,” what their darling grandson did at the table, and so on? Really look at the people around you while they work. If someone is sitting tensely at the edge of their seat, eyes fixed on their computer screen, mumbling to themselves, and so on, these are signs that they are busy. Interrupting someone who is obviously busy with trivial chatter is worse than annoying; it’s unprofessional.
g. Keep the noise down. Unless you are fortunate enough to have your own office with a door, keep your own noise level down. Cube life is hard enough without having to share space with someone who talks to themselves, chews gum loudly, has loud phone conversations (or worse, has their speakerphone on), rustles and rattles and taps endlessly and so on. I once had a co-worker right beside me who regularly clipped his fingernails right after lunch—clip, clip, clip. I thought I would lose my mind.
h. Dress professionally. Depending on your office and whether or not you have a dress code, do your best to look professional. Understand this—no matter how good your work is, how intelligent you are or how many degrees you have, if you don’t dress the part of a professional, you don’t get taken seriously. Period. Dressing professionally tells those around you that you respect yourself, your job, your office community and your company. It is not in any way superficial; it’s called being professional.
i. Document your work.
Once you complete any assignment, no matter how small, keep a running record. Keep track of all your work in this way: the title of the assignment, a brief description, when the assignment was issued, when you completed it, to whom you turned it in, and where it is located on your computer and also where it is published on the main company drive. Send your boss a monthly status to keep him/her apprised of what you’ve been doing. This keeps you and your work fresh in his/her mind.
Once you complete any assignment, no matter how small, keep a running record. Keep track of all your work in this way: the title of the assignment, a brief description, when the assignment was issued, when you completed it, to whom you turned it in, and where it is located on your computer and also where it is published on the main company drive. Send your boss a monthly status to keep him/her apprised of what you’ve been doing. This keeps you and your work fresh in his/her mind.
j. Take the ‘snark’ out of your emails.
It’s so tempting to email-blast someone at work who has sent you an email that hit you the wrong way. Do whatever you have to do to get the anger out; take a quick walk around the building, go get a cup of coffee, go sit in your car and scream; whatever it takes. Like a bad picture of you on the Internet, a snarky email can live on forever to haunt you. Resist the temptation to snap back.
I once completed a lengthy project, placed it on the main work drive, and was asked by my project manager to shorten the page count. I carved it down from 21 pages to 7. A co-worker who somehow got wind of this took a copy of my original 21-pager and got it down to 6 pages, then triumphantly emailed the project manager and copied me on it. I sent them both an email thanking the co-worker for honing the file down by one page.
Don’t get me wrong—I was furious. But between the lines of my thank-you email reply read ‘I know what you did, you brown noser, and I am letting the project manager know that you butted into my business but I was gracious enough to thank you for the sake of the project.’
It’s so tempting to email-blast someone at work who has sent you an email that hit you the wrong way. Do whatever you have to do to get the anger out; take a quick walk around the building, go get a cup of coffee, go sit in your car and scream; whatever it takes. Like a bad picture of you on the Internet, a snarky email can live on forever to haunt you. Resist the temptation to snap back.
I once completed a lengthy project, placed it on the main work drive, and was asked by my project manager to shorten the page count. I carved it down from 21 pages to 7. A co-worker who somehow got wind of this took a copy of my original 21-pager and got it down to 6 pages, then triumphantly emailed the project manager and copied me on it. I sent them both an email thanking the co-worker for honing the file down by one page.
Don’t get me wrong—I was furious. But between the lines of my thank-you email reply read ‘I know what you did, you brown noser, and I am letting the project manager know that you butted into my business but I was gracious enough to thank you for the sake of the project.’
k. Say ‘thank you.’
If someone you work with does anything for you; hands you a paperclip or recovers a lost file, thank them. Don’t take their kind actions for granted; even if handing you a paperclip or recovering your lost file is part of their work description, thank them just the same. It costs you nothing and generates a lot of good will.
If someone you work with does anything for you; hands you a paperclip or recovers a lost file, thank them. Don’t take their kind actions for granted; even if handing you a paperclip or recovering your lost file is part of their work description, thank them just the same. It costs you nothing and generates a lot of good will.
l. Smile and/or say something.I used to work with a woman who looked as though she had swallowed poison each day. Saying ‘good morning’ or ‘hello’ gained you at best an icy stare and no reply, or she walked on as if you weren’t there. I’m sure she was terribly busy and had terribly important thoughts on her mind, but she sure stunk up the atmosphere. As busy or as important as you are or think you are, the day will come when you will need one of the people you’ve snubbed, and believe me—they won’t go out of their way to help you.
m. Keep an attitude of gratitude.
Even in the worst job in the worst economy, keep your eyes firmly on all that is good in your job and in your life. I had a dear friend who was dying of incurable cancer who, when I called her, would say ‘any day this side of the grass is a good day.’
Keep looking for the good things and you will see them. I know it sounds simplistic, but sending goodness out, goodness comes back to you (this is my principle of business karmic law, or Good Out, Good In or GOGI). The converse is true; bad out, bad in. Keep remembering the good things. Best of all, you’ll get in the habit of having an attitude of gratitude.
Even in the worst job in the worst economy, keep your eyes firmly on all that is good in your job and in your life. I had a dear friend who was dying of incurable cancer who, when I called her, would say ‘any day this side of the grass is a good day.’
Keep looking for the good things and you will see them. I know it sounds simplistic, but sending goodness out, goodness comes back to you (this is my principle of business karmic law, or Good Out, Good In or GOGI). The converse is true; bad out, bad in. Keep remembering the good things. Best of all, you’ll get in the habit of having an attitude of gratitude.
Thank you. This has been very insightful.
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