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Business Etiquette – The New Rules in a Digital Age

Christine Kelley– Sr. Accountant Executive, Robert Half Management Resources

Taylor Poston – Account Executive, Robert Half Management Resources

April 24, 2012

Founded in 1948, Robert Half International is the world's first and largest specialized staffing firm. In March 2012, Robert Half ranked first in the staffing industry on FORTUNE magazine's "World's Most Admired Companies" list. The company is traded on the New York Stock Exchange and is a member of the S&P 500 index.

Robert Half’s financial staffing divisions include Robert

Half Management Resources, Accountemps and Robert Half Finance & Accounting, for temporary and full-time professionals, respectively.

For more information: ◦ www.rhmr.com ◦ www.roberthalf.com ◦ www.twitter.com/roberthalffa

Christine Kelley

Senior Account Executive

Robert Half Management Resources

Taylor Poston

Account Executive

Robert Half Management Resources

© 2012 Robert Half. Robert Half is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Executives were asked, “To what extent, if any, can technology etiquette breaches adversely affect a person’s career prospects?” Their responses:

Source: Robert Half survey of 659 human resources managers in the United States and Canada

Somewhat

61%

Not at all

23%

Don't know

1%

Greatly

15%

Mobile devices

Texting

Phone, video and web conferencing

E-mail and instant messaging

Social networking

Networking in just five minutes a day

Managers were asked, “Which of the following most closely describes your reaction when professionals read and respond to e-mail during business meetings?” Their responses:

Source: Robert Half Survey of 250 senior managers in the United States and Canada

1%

6%

20%

35%

38%

Don't know

It's acceptable to read/respond to messages, especially

when what's being said doesn't pertain to them

It's OK to check messages as long as attendees excuse

themselves and step outside the meeting to respond

It's OK to read and respond to messages during the

meeting but only if the message is urgent

It's never OK. E-mail devices should be turned off or

not brought to the meeting at all

CIOs were asked, “In your opinion, has the increased use of mobile electronic gadgets increased or decreased the number of breaches in workplace etiquette in the past three years?” Their responses:

Source: Robert Half survey of 1,718 chief information officers in the United States and Canada

Increased

somewhat

29%

Remained

the same

42%

Decreased

somewhat

4%

Decreased

significantly

2%

Don't know/no

answer

2%

Increased

significantly

21%

Don’t have loud music during a meeting

Watch out for TMI – Have private conversations in private places

Lose the “cyborg” look

Go light on acronyms and abbreviations

Text selectively

Don’t be mysterious

Executives were asked, “When you participate in meetings via teleconference, how frequently do you do other things, like answer e-mail or surf the Internet, during the meeting?” Their responses:

Source: Robert Half survey of 763 advertising and marketing executives in the United States and Canada

Somewhat

frequently

33%

Not frequently

36%

Never

19%

Very frequently

12%

Take a trial run

Watch the clock

Get the team ready

Be a good host

Be inclusive

Enjoy the silence

Don’t put people on hold

Use mute

“I once sent a job offer to the wrong person.”

“Someone sent out confidential salary information to the whole firm.”

“Someone made a nasty comment about a supervisor and it was sent to the supervisor by mistake. It led to dismissal.”

“A person called another employee an idiot in an e-mail to everyone in the company.”

Source: Robert Half survey of 250 advertising and marketing executives in the United States

Use only one account for work

Be mindful of which account you use in a job search

Respond in a timely manner

Be clear in your subject line

Keep it short and light

Don’t cry wolf

Use “Reply All” selectively

Think before you send

I just sent a confidential e-mail to the wrong person – what do I do now?

How responsive should I be to e-mail when I'm on vacation?

Be unassuming

Restrain yourself

Keep it short and sweet

Exercise caution

Don’t leave someone hanging

Johnson, Lori

Turner, Christine

Turner, Christine

Search yourself regularly

If you have a common name, use a variation

Post information that adds to your credibility ◦ Blog posts in your industry

◦ Participation in LinkedIn groups

◦ Start your own social media feeds

Complete your profile

Take notice

Prioritize quality over quantity

Request recommendations individually

Make the connection clear

Go ahead – use the form letter!

Protect your contacts

Recommend thoughtfully Mark Jones Project Manager XYZ Company

Is it OK to “friend” your boss on Facebook?

Executives were asked, “How comfortable would you feel being ‘friended’ by the following individuals on Facebook?” Their responses:

Source: Robert Half survey of 249 senior executives at the largest companies in the United States and Canada

Your boss Your coworker People you

manage

Very comfortable 15% 10% 10%

Somewhat comfortable

23% 37% 27%

Not very comfortable

17% 15% 18%

Not comfortable at all

38% 32% 39%

Don’t know 7% 6% 6%

Get a vanity URL

Include a personal photo, but not too personal

Respect the wall

Keep it focused

Ask before you tag

Don’t be a pest

Don’t poke

Keep it private

Can Facebook postings hurt my job search?

Should I use Facebook at work?

What’s the right way to decline a request to connect with someone?

What’s a “Twibe?”

What does “RT” stand for?

What’s a “Fail Whale?”

© 2011 Twitter.com

Introduce yourself

Listen

Add value

Tweet regularly

Pay it forward

Joe Business

Say thanks

Keep it light

Be open … but not too open

Connect your LinkedIn and Twitter accounts using the hash tag #in when appropriate

If someone follows me on Twitter, should I automatically follow him or her

back?

Do small favors

Offer introductions

Add someone new each week

Join up

DON’T

Host a phone, video

or web conference

without first learning

the technology

DO

Take a trial run before

your scheduled

meeting so you can

troubleshoot issues

without wasting

others’ time

DON’T

“Reply to All” on your

work e-mails if your

message isn’t

relevant to everyone

DO

Double-check your

response before

sending to multiple

recipients

DON’T

Distract others with

instant message

pop-ups during

business meetings

DO

Log out of your chat

feature before

presenting at a

meeting using your

computer or laptop

DON’T

Post anything you

wouldn’t want a

potential employer to

see, especially

embarrassing photos

DO

Maintain full business

acumen when friending

coworkers,

professional contacts

and customers

DON’T

Be one-sided

when using

social media sites

DO

Listen to what others

have to say and share

useful articles or

relevant comments

DON’T

Send generic

messages to all of

your LinkedIn

contacts asking for

recommendations

DO

Request LinkedIn

recommendations

individually with a

personal message

DON’T

Poke business

contacts

DO

Stay top of mind with

your contacts by keeping

your profile current and

taking advantage of

online and offline

networking opportunities

DON’T

Post negative

comments or criticize

others when using

Twitter

DO

Use the direct message (DM) feature to initiate

contact regarding sensitive issues, then try to discuss

offline, if possible

© 2012 Robert Half. Robert Half is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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