Everyday Courtesies

One of the seven creeds of Emcor persuades each and every one of us to instill in our mind the importance of courtesy. Thus, we must not just merely memorize the creed but rather apply it to our daily activities. The encouraging thing about etiquette is that it can be learned, that it does not necessarily have to be bred in the bone though that is, of course, the way it would come easiest.  Knowledge and instinctive practice of accepted good manners do not, of course, make the gentleman. A real gentleman, a man with a heart for the kind, considerate, decent thing may have no manners at all, in usual sense. Polished manners and scurrilous character can well be encountered in the same individual – just as a man may dress like a gentleman in his daily actions. At this time, it is highly desirable from a social and business point of view for every man to know and practice the accepted manners of his time – to err, perhaps, on the side of punctiliousness in such things.

Here are some everyday courtesies that we tend to forget, yet, play a vital role not only in the business world but also in our home. 

Extending Greeting. The manner, in which persons who work in the same place greet each other, varies from office to office. In most companies, you do know most of your co-workers and greeting them at least the first time you see them each day, is a polite custom. You should make a point of greeting everyone known to you with at least a nod or a spoken word. Many subordinates wait for executives to take the lead in greeting them, so as an executive, you should be prepared to initiate greetings.

Shaking Hands. A handshake is as much a part of personality as the way we walk; and although we may modify and improve a poor handshake if someone calls our attention to it, it will usually be just like us, assured or timid, warm or cool.

Bad handshakes include the bone crusher – the grip that makes the other person, especially a woman wearing rings, wince. Or a limp, damp handshake that seems to say, “I am not really happy to meet you at all.” – it may be the kind of straight – arm shake that seems to hold the other person off, or the octopus grip that draws you inexorably toward the shaker, who never seems to want to let go. Then there is the pump handle or country bumpkin and the very continental style – reserved for women – which, though not a hand kiss exactly, is cozy and overlong, ending in an intimate little squeeze.

The good handshake is elbow level, firm and brief. People shake hands more frequently today than they did years ago, and the rule about waiting for a woman to extend her hand has pretty much fallen by the wayside. A man who is interviewing a woman as a potential employee or serving as host to her if she is client would naturally be the one to extend his hand first today, and this is often exactly what occurs. On the other hand, a woman who wants to signal that she is to be treated the same way as her male contemporaries may show the initiative in shaking hands.