Demise of the humble hanky
With southern Australia in the grip of flu season I was shocked to discover this week the humble hanky is no longer socially commonplace.
Writing in The Border Watch forum, Ebony Jackson says “thank goodness the hanky is history”.
Just hold it there a moment. History? Since when?
Challenged by me on that question, Ebony responds: “Some people especially elderly (I think) still use them. Women who are conscious of etiquette traditions and awareness … baby boomer vintage and earlier, have hanky habits embedded in social graces historically.” (more…)
Five bad email habits
Continuing from the previous post, this list is based on observations and personal experiences:
- Sending group emails to people who don’t really need to know;
- Attaching large files;
- Sending an email to someone in the same room about a mundane matter;
- Asking to be notified when the email is deleted;
- Phoning to see if the email was received (true)!
Slaves to email
I don’t intend to cross-post regularly between here and OzComments, but the issue of being slaves to email seemed worth mentioning at both places.
Sharon MacNevin from Email Management Solutions issued a statement today after speaking at a conference in Perth. In summary:
MacNevin said the rapid growth of email means that many organisations and individuals have forgotten the business guidelines for written communication, sending, receiving and filing of mail.
“People feel compelled to reply to emails even with just a ‘thanks’ adding to the overwhelming number of emails people receive. A simple ‘NRN’ (no reply necessary) can reduce the overload significantly,” she said. (more…)
iPod etiquette
I don’t know if there’s such a thing as a code of conduct for iPod users, but there ought to be. One of my staff has taken to getting around much of the day with an iPod glued to his ear.
You can make a perfectly audible comment across the office and he just doesn’t hear. To get his attention you have to draw his eye.
He’s not in a job where he has to answer the phone much, or get involved with discussions, but occasionally he is required to engage in dialogue.
Sometimes I see him swaying about the office, and if he wasn’t a non-drinker I’d have every reason to suspect he was intoxicated.
He’s good at his work, and apart from sometimes talking to myself while talking to him, I have no reason for complaint. I’m sure chronic text messagers waste more time than he does.
Is this is a common issue in the workplace? How should I deal with it?
