8.
Some secretaries acquire the bad
Etiquette in business
No one can qualify for or hold a position as
secretary unless she knows and observes the
rules of business etiquette-in other words,
correct behaviour in the office. Many of these
rules are the same as in private life and need
not be repeated. In business, however, there
are various other points regarding etiquette
that need discussion.
Your employer and other executives
If you cannot come to work,
telephone your employer or your immediate
superior right at the time for the
commencement of work and explain the
reason. If you are able to speak to your
employer, draw his attention to anything
important that has to be done, or completed,
during the day so that any necessary
arrangements can be made. You may, for
example, hae partly completed a repor which
will be needed the following day. If your
employer is not there, get someone else to
pass on a message.
If you are absent for several days,
keep the firm posted about your progress and
portable date of return, as your employer may
need to engage temporary help.
It would be unusual for a secretary to
rise from her chair when her employer enters
and speaks to her. However,if, say the
managing direcor of a large concern came in
to see her employer, it would in some though
not all cases be unusual for er to rise.
If you have to send typewritten
notices of a board meeting, etc to a number
of directors, unless instucted otherwise it
would be inappropriate to send carbon
copies. Each would be separately typed. The
same would apply to any similar document
unless it was particularly long. It would always
be typed on white paper.
Under no circumstances should you
argue with your superiors. This is not to say
that you are not entitled to put your point of
view. When your employer makes a decision
it is for you to obey it, whether you agree with
it or not.
habit of arguing about the corectness their
employer’s spelling of grammar, especially if
they are strong in those departments and feel
certain that it is wrong. There could be no
objection to their saying, ‘Is this correct, Mr.
Black?’, but if your employer insists that it is,
that is the end of the discussion.
Under no circumstances go over your
employer’s head. If, for example, you think
you are entitled to a rise, speak to your
employer about it first, before taking the
matter to the personnel manager, or however
else deals with it.
Fellow empoyees
Correct behaviour towards your fellow
employees fellows closely wht whould be
excepted that in the office many more people
are concerned. The following are some of the
thongs you will keep in mind :
 Don’t ask personal questions-about an
employees’s age, religion, salary, the cost
of items of clothing.
 Don’t be noisy in closing doors or in
speaking to others. Don’t laugh loudly or
giggle. Doing things quietly is one of the
signs of an efficient secretary.
 If you have occasion to apologise for
having inconvenienced anyone, say, ‘I’m
very sorry’, not just ‘Sorry’, which sounds
insincere.
 Don’t contradict people openly, as it leads
to friction. It is of course permissible to
disagree courteously, or to say, ‘Are you
sure that is right?’ and then put your
version. However, avoid forcing your
views on others or monopolising the
conversation.
 If someone in the office boys you a drink
or pays your bus fare, don’t argue and
insist on paying for yourself, as this can
cause embarrassment. It is customary for
each person in a pair or group to pay his
or her own way. Make sure that you are
ready to pay for your share of anything.
Don’t be ‘Slow on the draw’.
 Be tidy. At home you can leave your own
room in a
HALAMAN 35
 Something such as ‘We’ve spoken to each
other several times on the phone’.
 On introduction, a woman may offer her
hand to a man or not, as she pleases. An
older woman may offer her hand to a
young one, or a very distinguished woman
to any other. This is considered a sign of
friendliness. In busines introductions,
woman rarely shake hands, though men
do. A man normally does not offer his
hand to a woman, though occasionally a
much older or very distinguished man
may do so.
 If offered someone’s hand, you must take
it.
 If a woman is seated, it is not necessary
for her to rise when a man is being
introduced. In business, you would rise if
a person of importance is introduced. A
manalways stands when introduced.
 If you do shake hands, grasp the other’s
hand firnly.
Introducing yourself
 You may say, ‘I’m Miss White (or Jean
White), Mr Black’s secretary. May i help
you?’
 If you have to join group, but know no
one, say, ‘I’m Jean White, from
melbourne.’
 If you meet somebody you have met only
once previously, do not say, ‘Don’t you
remember me, Mr Brown?’. The chances
are that he doesn’t, and this could be
embrarrassing. Spare this embarrassment
by saying, ‘Good morning, Mr Brown, I’m
Jean White, Mr Black’s secretary. I met
you at the publishers’ conference several
months ago’. This gives him the
opportunity of pretending that he
remembers you well.
A study of the foregoing principles will be
of great help to you in handling introductions.
Some of these, however, become quite
complicated and you could find themdifficult
at first.
Asking for a rise (not a raise)
To most people, this is great ordeal,
and it is all the more necessary to know what
you should say.
RSVP
W Carrington
By 1 July
Hal 38Probably the best thing is to
wait until your employer appears to be
relaxed and not busy, and also in a good
mood. Than you can say something like this:
‘Mr Black to give me a higher salary. I have
been doing much more important work since
Christmas, and most of my friends doing this
kind of work are getting more tha i am’.
You should be prepared for a
disappointing answer even with this
approach, and not become embroiled in an
argument.
Invitations
It may be necessary for you to arrange
for your firm the sending out of initations to
people to attend various functions-Christmas
parties, cock tail parties, business
conferences, etc. Your employer will also
receive similar invitations from other firms
and organisations, and it will normally be your
duty to send suitable replies to those on your
employer’s behalf.
Invitations are broadly classified as
formal and informal. The latter are reserved
for social rather than business occasions, so
that it is the formal invitation that will
concern you most.
The formal invitation is frequently
printed on a good-quality cad. It usually
follows one of the two styles below.
THE SYDNEY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Cordially invites you to attend
A dinner in honour of
Sir Francis Shuckieton
President, London Chamber of Commarer
On Friday,2 July,19
at the Hilton Hotel at eight o’clock.
Dress
Informal
Subscription $25
You are cordially invited to attend a
Testimonial Dinner
In Honour of
Mr W J MACKAT, ORE
Founder and President of the
Sydney Historical Society
For fifty years
To be held on
Saturday, 10 July, 19
At the Historical Society’s Rooms
Hunter Street , Sydney
At seven o’clock
$25 per head
Dress Informal