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Business / Tech

Some employees are struggling with the return

to o ce. Now, the workplace etiquette industry
is booming
By Joshua Girsky and Clare Du y, CNN
3 minute read · Updated 1:13 PM EST, Fri March 8, 2024

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A growing number of companies are seeking out workplace etiquette training as workers return to the
o ce, bringing habits from the work-from-home era back with them. iStockphoto/Getty Images

New York (CNN) — Many companies had to manage employee discontent when calling
them back to the office as risks from the Covid-19 pandemic eased.

And now that they’re back, employers are having to address a new issue: some
employees have forgotten how to behave in the office.

Demand for workplace etiquette training has surged over the past two years as
companies grapple with the fact that some employees brought their at-home habits
back to the office and others had little experience in a professional setting in the first
place. More than 60% of companies plan to implement etiquette courses for staff this
year, according to a survey of more than 1,500 business leaders published in July by
job seeker service company Resume Builder.
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The growing workplace etiquette business is just the latest example of companies’
efforts to adjust to the hybrid work era — ensuring that they have productive teams Why do many
while keeping workers happy. ordinary Americans
believe the
Anne Chertoff, chief operating officer at New York-based etiquette consultancy economy is
‘rigged"?
Beaumont Etiquette, said the firm has experienced a 100% increase in companies
requesting trainings over the past two years, with demand coming from employers of ‘That’s just
all kinds. horrifying’: Tapper
reacts to new
“It’s like people just got out of practice in some ways,” problem on a
Chertoff said. “If you just got used to taking your lunch Boeing airplane
plate and putting it next to the sink, that’s what you’re
still doing. So, you have to learn and remember that, no, Boeing in hot
water after door
you have to wash your dish because you’re not at home,
plug panel flew off
RELATED ARTICLE you’re at the office.” jet
More employers now say
they’re willing to hire workers Many office workers will likely be familiar with the most
without a college degree. But
common workplace behavior faux pas: things like
is that playing out?
coworkers who aren’t mindful of their volume while on
the phone and employees who leave a mess around the
office, as well as inappropriate office conversations, awkward introductions and novel-
length emails.

Companies have also struggled with issues such as employees not knowing how to
dress appropriately for the office or “people sending emojis and acronyms that might
have double triple meanings,” Chertoff said.

Some workers still struggle with what exactly to wear for a Zoom call. (Hint: In case
you have to get up from the computer for some reason, Chertoff advises not to go too
casual on the bottom.)

It’s not just in-person trainings — office etiquette tips have become popular fodder for
social media content, from TikTok videos to LinkedIn courses.

“Let me give you all the tips that I wish somebody had told me when I started my
corporate job,” Mary Knoeferl, known online as “Mary the Analyst,” said in a TikTok
video viewed by more than 41,000 users last year. In the video, she detailed advice
such as how to tell a coworker you don’t have the answer to their question and
avoiding use of personal computers for work.

Although workers in all stages of their careers can benefit from a workplace etiquette
refresher, such training is especially important for Gen Z employees who are just
starting out their careers, Chertoff said. Many of those younger workers missed out on
opportunities to practice professional behavior in college and in-person internships
because of disruptions from the pandemic and may have started their first jobs
working from home.

Increasingly colleges and universities are also offering — in some cases, requiring —
courses on skills like networking and business dinners.

“Soft skills are just as important or more important than the technical skills that you
learn,” Chertoff said. “If you’re making your colleagues uncomfortable … or your
behavior is inappropriate in an office setting, or your behavior is inappropriate with
clients, you’re going to lose your job or you’re going to get demoted from your
position.”

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