When the flu and bad manners collide at work

From politicians interrupting Presidential speeches to tennis stars berating line judges and rap music moguls stealing an award winning teen’s limelight, recent news headlines have us gasping in disbelief and collectively wondering – “What would your mother say?”

Whether you’re a tennis champion or a grocery store bagger, people are taking notice of the disease-like spread of poor etiquette. Over at his Avian Flu Diary blog, writer FLA_Medic shared a recent experience at his local supermarket:

While paying for my goods, the cashier began counting out money. She then COUGHED into her free hand - and barely skipping a beat -continued counting out my change . . .

. . . I started to say something but was interrupted as this lady SNEEZED (loudly and wetly) into her free hand, wiped her hand on her pants leg, and then blithely resumed counting my change.

He pointed out the cashier’s poor (and germy) etiquette, she denied any wrongdoing, wiped her hands with a hand wipe then gave the shopper his change using “fresh” bills from the register.

I walked around the store for several minutes, fuming . . . and finally asked another cashier to page the manager. He arrived a few minutes later, and I explained what had transpired (I did not identify the cashier . . .this, I felt was a failure of Management).

I asked, “Have you had any employee training sessions on sneezing and coughing etiquette? After all . . we are in a pandemic.”

So, though it may be the simplest and one of our earliest learned lessons in etiquette (next to saying “please” and “thank you,” of course) some people need a refresher lesson on the importance of covering their mouth and nose while sneezing and coughing – the right way.

Now is the time to get your flu season training in motion, especially with some experts predicting flu season to hit its peak in October, before the release of the H1N1 vaccine.

Educate employees on how to protect themselves from the flu with posters, pamphlets and online newsletters – anything that could help prevent the spread of illness in your workplace.

Remember, the rules have changed since the School House Rock generation was in class (oh, you know who you are) – we use our elbows to cover sneezes, no more of that icky hand nonsense.

Using PowerPoint for training: Top 5 tips

In most offices it’s rare to get through the day without attending at least one meeting where you were the lucky viewer of a not-so-interesting or helpful PowerPoint presentation.

Since Microsoft released the tool in more than 20 years ago, we’ve been using it as a crutch for any and every presentation we’ve ever delivered.

Unfortunately, we’ve been using it the same way for so long that everyone is tired of seeing the same old presentation and over and over again. We’ve been dying a slow death by PowerPoint and are ready for a change.

When you’re using PowerPoint for training or any other kind of workplace presentation, keep your audience alive with an interesting slideshow and review these top five PowerPoint tips:

1. Prepare. Develop your presentation with a clear goal in mind. What is it that you want your audience to understand? Mapping out the presentation by hand before getting on the computer will help you create a more focused and concise presentation.


2. Make note cards. Write down all of your main talking points on notecards, don’t depend on the screen. People like it when you talk to them, not to the screen.


3. Reinforce, don’t repeat. Use your slides to reinforce the points you’re delivering in your presentation or training seminar, not repeat what you’re saying. Instead of repeating your words, use the slides to add detail and paint a clear picture of each topic.


4. Send a copy. At the beginning of your presentation, let your audience know that you will be sending them copies of your slides along with supplemental information. This way, they’ll be paying attention to what you’re saying rather than reading a handout or copying every slide you put up.


5. Keep it short. Keep the amount of words on each slide to a minimum. Every presentation will have a different number, but concise writing will keep your audience’s attention and keep them interested in what you’re saying.

Oh, and watch this slideshow from Lifehacker for even more great PowerPoint ideas:

Death by PowerPoint

View more presentations from Alexei Kapterev.

New study reveals instant messaging reduces interruption, plus workplace IM etiquette

If you think instant messaging at work is distracting and lowers employee productivity, think again. A new study from researchers at Ohio State University and University of California, Irvine actually found the exactly the opposite to be true.

Before the study, many researchers and business professionals believed that if given instant messaging, workers would use it on top of emails and phone conversations, increasing interruption and lowering productivity.

Instead, researchers found that workers who used instant messaging on the job reported less interruption than coworkers who did not. Instant messaging was often used as a substitute for the phone and email, decreasing workplace disruption.

“We found that the effect of instant messaging is actually positive. People who used instant messaging reported that they felt they were being interrupted less frequently,” said Ohio State researcher Kelly Garrett in ScienceDaily.

Researchers found that most workers would use instant messaging to see if a coworker was busy, before interrupting them at their desk, and to get quick answers to simple questions. Instant messaging gave employees more control over workplace communication by showing others when they are available or not. It also allows workers to postpone conversations and ignore or dismiss unimportant messages, with little distraction.

If you’re thinking about adopting instant messaging in the office or already use it, be sure to train employees on correct workplace instant messaging etiquette. Here are a few key points to remember:

• Knock first. Ask if the person is available before interrupting them with a detailed question. Simply ask “Are you available to chat?”



• Keep it short. Instant messaging is meant to be brief. If your message requires more than about two lines of text, maybe you should consider moving your conversation to the phone or email.



• Take your time. Your coworker may not be as fast of a typist as you, so give them enough time to respond before sending another question.



• Use away messages. Going to be in a meeting for the next hour? Put up an away message that tells everyone you’re away from your desk, so everyone knows when you’re available again.



• Mind your manners. Don’t say anything in an instant message that you wouldn’t put in an office email or say over the phone. Remind employees that IMs sent from office computers should follow workplace communication policies regarding offensive language and improper conversation topics.

How employees choose to use instant messaging will determine the effect it will have on productivity. If everyone agrees to follow a few rules, instant messaging can enhance employee communication, reduce distractions and improve productivity.

Simple training etiquette: Follow the Golden Rule

As youngsters we were all taught the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” But now we’re a little older and the Rule is buried underneath everything else on our ‘to do’ lists.

When it comes to employee training, the Golden Rule should be followed every step of the way, from the planning stage through to any follow-up training. By treating others how you want to be treated, your training program will be more effective and enjoyable to attend.

“In this case, ‘Do unto others…’ means don’t bore them, don’t waste their time, and don’t make them sit through a presentation you would hate,” says Barbara Jones at BizCustoms.com.

A well thought out training program will take the employees’ perspective into consideration at every point of the process. Here are some tips to implement the Golden Rule and follow simple training etiquette throughout your program or presentation:

Scheduling. Schedule employee training at a convenient time when employees are least distracted. Sit down with employees to find out the busiest time of the day or if there are important deadlines coming up. Proper scheduling will reduce the number of disgruntled attendees and increase the number of focused, engaged employees.

Location. Keep training in house and during work hours. Not only will in-house training save you from paying travel costs, it’s also less burdensome on employees. Off-site or after-hours training requires employees to rearrange their outside schedules and creates resentment. Make training as convenient as possible to attend.

Train vs. lecture. We all know how exciting it can be to listen to someone read from a slide presentation. Passive listening, like hearing a speech or lecture, usually causes boredom. Like we said last week, get your audience talking and they’ll retain more. Involve employees throughout the training process with practice exercises and conversation for more effectiveness.

Repetition. Most people don’t understand something completely until it is repeated or practiced. The more an idea is repeated, the more chance it has to be retained. Give employees something on paper to reinforce the ideas covered in the training program.

Implementation. Don’t put someone through training and assume they will have no problem implementing the new skills they learned on their own. Create opportunities for employees to practice their new skills as soon as the training is complete. If employees do not have the chance to practice, skills will be lost and your training will have been a waste of time.



When designing your next employee training program, take a step back to think about how you would feel as a trainee and how you would like to be treated. Remember those feelings during the planning process, along with some simple training etiquette, and you’ll see the difference in your employees the next time they complete training.