Workplace etiquette sets companies apart

Helping local companies and professionals observe the proper rules of etiquette is the focus of The Etiquette Academy, opened by Jacqueline Rogers in May 2005.

“Your services might be parallel, but if your company handles itself better than another in customer service and how it treats people, that’s where the business will go,” Rogers said.

In addition to reading many books on etiquette, Rogers is certified to teach business etiquette by the Etiquette Institute in St. Louis.

“It’s not the art of snobbery,” Rogers said of her trade. “If you have the right manners, everyone around will be comfortable. Nobody wants to come across as stuffy.”

Table manners are one aspect of what Rogers teaches to businesspeople, given that business often takes place during lunch or dinner meetings.

“Business owners will want employees to be able to comport themselves at meals,” Rogers said. “Manners and etiquette aren’t covered in a company’s policy or procedural handbook, and they’re important.”

Etiquette, however, goes beyond basic manners, and when observed properly, business etiquette can promote cohesiveness in the workplace.

For prospective clients, Rogers provides a four-page checklist of possible subject areas. The list includes body language and conversation, telephone skills, business cards and correspondence, dining, entertaining, seminars, job interview preparation and professional appearance.

“The little things add up,” she said. “You should know how and when to present business cards, and be selective in your timing and conversational skills. You should know what’s off-limits to talk about at a dinner party. And you should keep your glass in the left hand so you can use the right to shake hands. A nametag goes on the right, to align with your arm during a good firm handshake.”

Front-line employees have different rules to follow.

“Receptionists can be the face of a company, and it’s essential that they don’t unintentionally offend someone,” Rogers said. “Don’t chew gum, and don’t eat lunch at your desk. Use good posture and be attentive to how you might appear to others.”

To Donna Morris, financial adviser and team leader at Great Southern Bank, appropriate behavior is essential not only for customer relationships, but also for employer-employee interaction. Rogers provided a customer-service tutorial for Great Southern’s managers and assistant managers to address the role of etiquette in business relationships.

“Success is all about when a customer first walks in your door and notices the impression you’re giving,” Morris said. “Some of this may seem like common sense, but it’s important to know what to do and what not to do – for example, how to engage people in conversation and look them in the eye. Some workers may be more or less introverted, and if they can be taught these skills it enhances them as employees and also benefits the customer.”

Morris said the Great Southern employees who studied with Rogers took what they learned back to their offices and departments and shared it with their co-workers.

“Anyone can benefit from this training, and there’s always more to learn, especially with cellphones and other information technology,” Morris said. “In the business world, if there’s a lack of manners, it’s obvious to the employer and that will limit someone’s upward mobility.”

Rogers’ tutorials are customized on an individual basis by the hour.

The cost for a private three-hour dining tutorial is $180. For a company, with as many people as they want to attend, the cost is $500 for one hour, $800 for two hours, and $1,300 for a three-hour session. The longest sessions generally include a dining tutorial, Rogers said, but the cost of the meal is not included in her fees.

The making of an etiquette enterprise

Rogers’ journey to better etiquette began when she was a bride-to-be eager to understand table settings for special dinners, and developed further when she had young children to whom she wanted to teach proper manners.

In 2002, Rogers was teaching high school biology and sixth-grade science at Grace Classical Academy in Springfield and was given the go-ahead to develop an etiquette curriculum.

Her friends began to inquire about the possibility of Rogers teaching etiquette privately, so in June 2005, she went to the Etiquette Institute in St. Louis and was certified to teach business etiquette and to customize her curriculum to meet the needs of businesses and professional organizations, and the individuals who work for them.