Q: When coming in to work, who is to say "Good morning" first — the person already there or the person just arriving?
A: Ideally, the person already there should greet the person arriving. A hostess at a restaurant would say, "Hi, welcome to Jessica's Restaurant. How can I help you?" Of course, if you arrive at an office, a home or anywhere and no one greets you, then it's perfectly acceptable to initiate the greeting yourself.
Q: When I'm in the middle of talking to someone and another person walks up, should I finish what I was saying before acknowledging the person who walked up, or stop talking immediately and acknowledge the new arrival?
A: Etiquette is rarely so definitive that a simple "yes" or "no" answer suffices. Let's assume I'm the person doing the talking.
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If I was in the middle of a long story, I'd stop at the end of a sentence, turn to the person who just walked up, and acknowledge them by introducing myself (if we haven't met before) and the person I was speaking with. In addition, I'd give the new arrival a quick summary of what we were talking about to bring them up to speed.
I might say something like: "Hi, I'm Peter and this is Jim. We're from Ace Products. I was just telling Jim about a fishing experience I had on my vacation. Do you fish?"
Think about how good you'd feel if someone brought you into a conversation in this way instead of simply saying, "Hi. I'm Peter and this is Jim." On the other hand, if I was just completing a thought, I'd finish what I was saying and then turn to the new person, introduce myself, and bring him or her into the conversation.
Q: On casual Fridays, is it OK to wear loafers without socks?
A: Casual dress isn't a one-size-fits-all category.
For instance, a dot-com company might have a casual dress code that includes sandals, T-shirts and blue jeans, while a bank may require khaki pants, a button-down shirt, and shoes and socks.
What's really important is that each company define its standards for formal and casual attire, then provide that code to each employee. The more specific the code, the better: That way there's no confusion about what's acceptable and what isn't.
If you're not sure whether loafers without socks is acceptable, don't assume it's OK. If you find out you were wrong, you may regret pushing the envelope. Wear the socks for now, and either ask your manager or observe what others are wearing.
Opinion by
Peter
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