Professional Courtesy, LLC

Karen Hickman specializes in Etiquette and Protocol Consulting and is based out of Fort Wayne, IN | TEL: 260-486-7758

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Perfume Etiquette

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Perfume on pink background
Perfume Etiquette
So, you love your perfume and enjoy wearing it. However, any fragrance, such as cologne, perfume and aftershave should be used sparingly in any situation, but especially at work. People should have to get fairly close to you before smelling your special potion or signature scent. You would never want your fragrance to precede you into a room or hang in the air like old cooking smells, after you have gone. Your scent should attract people, not irritate or repel them.
Many people are hypersensitive to perfume or even allergic to it. It can cause migraines, nausea and a general unwell feeling for some who are exposed to it for long periods of time. If you work with someone and have to share a fairly small space and their scent is causing you discomfort, it may be time to tell the offending person. Telling a person politely that his or her fragrance is causing you to feel sick may be all that is needed. However, if the individual doesn’t respect your request to lighten up, you may need to take the issue to your supervisor or HR person so he or she can intervene. Today, the continued exposure to an unwelcome scent can be equated to having to endure secondhand cigarette smoke in the workplace, and some companies are being taken to task on the issue.
So here are some guidelines to keep in mind before you splash on your favorite scent:
•Consider the two-foot rule — people should not be able to smell your fragrance until they get fairly close to you.
•Choose lighter scents during the day and in summer months. Leave the heavier and exotic scents for nighttime and winter.
•Avoid wearing perfume in hospital settings (this applies to visitors, too) and on planes.
•Use lightly scented body lotions instead of perfume when you know you will be in close quarters with others.
•Don’t mix your fragrances.
•Don’t reapply a fragrance in public, and be mindful that the person wearing the perfume stops smelling it long before others do. Ask someone if he or she can still smell your fragrance before putting on more.
•If more than one person tells you your perfume is strong, believe them. Less is more!

For distinction, find a scent that everyone else isn’t wearing and make it your signature. And remember to put your perfume on before your clothes and your pearls. Perfume can be damaging to pearls and you don’t want your clothes to be permeated with your perfume.

Holiday Gift Giving at Work

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medical doctor holding gifts in hands isolated on white

Holiday Gift Giving at Work…
Gift giving at work can be tricky, so it is important to find out whether there is a gift-giving policy. The larger the company, the more likely it is that there will be a specific written guideline.
If the gift-giving policy is not a rigid one, find out what the tradition has been and try to follow it. Making the wrong move can cause hurt feelings and cause problems in the future.
Here are some other guidelines for gifting at work:
•Find out what people usually spend on gifts and stay within that price range. Spending more than others can make you look like you are trying to show people up or that you are not a team player.
•Do participate in the joint gift for your boss or supervisor. Giving a separate gift can make you look like a brown-noser.
•Choose gifts that reflect the interests of the people you are gifting. This is a time to show appreciation and to let recipients know you have put some thought into their gift.
•Stay within your budget when buying gifts. It isn’t about the cost, it’s about the thought. Be resourceful and clever when shopping. And be sure to wrap your gifts — that wrapping can make a usual gift look special.
•Avoid joke gifts; everyone doesn’t have the same sense of humor. Stay away from inappropriate gifts or gifts that are too extravagant, personal or sexy.
•Be a good sport and keep your sense of humor and play by the rules if your co-workers participate in the Yankee Swap (white elephant) or Secret Santa games.
•Give gifts privately to co-workers if you don’t have something for everyone.

Happy Holidays!

Office Christmas Party

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Business group people in santa hat at Xmas party.
Office Christmas Party…how to attend with style.
Corporate holiday parties can be stressful and unappealing for some people in an organization. However, you may be committing a huge faux pas and sabotaging your chances for advancement by not attending. Attending shows you are a team player. It is the opportunity to get to know those you don’t know well or have time to chat with during your regular business hours. And it is a chance to meet some of the spouses and significant others in your co-workers’ lives.

It is a bad idea for an employee not to participate, but an even larger mistake for a boss not to show up, without a very good reason. Not attending sends the message that bosses don’t really care about their employees and that they set themselves above those who work for them — a huge insult in my book. And if that is the message that the employees take away from their absence, it can damage the employees’ perception of how much they feel they are valued and how hard they want to work for the company. Corporate cultures and attitudes start at the top.

So, here are some tips to get you through the party and make it more enjoyable for everyone.

  • Be sure to respond to the invitation and let the planners know whether you are bringing your spouse or a guest, only if they are included in the invitation.
  • Dress for the event. This may be the time to jazz it up a bit with your attire, but be careful not to get too sexy.  That plunging neckline may not be forgotten on Monday morning. Ditch your jeans…dressing appropriately shows you care.
  • If you bring your spouse or a guest, be sure to introduce him or her to your coworkers.
  • Mingle! This is a perfect time to meet others in the company you don’t usually have the opportunity to see.
  • If you are one of the bosses, circulate and don’t just hang with the other bosses.
  • Pace yourself when it comes to alcohol consumption. You don’t want to be the topic of conversation on Monday morning.
  • If a meal is involved and you are ordering off a menu, go middle of the road with price. Ordering the most expensive thing on the menu can look as if you are taking advantage.
  • Thank your hosts upon leaving and send a handwritten thank-you note the next day.

So when that invitation arrives for the company party, say yes to going. Happy holidays!

Real Thanksgiving Etiquette

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Happy Thanksgiving table place setting

Real Thanksgiving Etiquette…the Reason for the Holiday

As we all gather together with our families this Thanksgiving, be mindful of the important things that bring us together and sustain us throughout the year.

While it is important to be well-mannered and know how to navigate the silverware on the table, there are larger things behind all of the rules. Consider focusing on those things this Thanksgiving.

  • Be respectful of the generations in your family.

  • Be considerate of your host.

  • Be willing to help and share.

  • Be present and a participant in conversation at the table.

  • Be willing to “disconnect” from your technology.

  • Be kind.

  • And most of all, Be Thankful!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Blessing to you all. Safe travels.

Guest Thanksgiving Etiquette

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Dining for Business and Pleasure

 

Thanksgiving starts off the holiday gatherings in earnest. It’s the time we eat drink and make merry and share good times with family and friends. It is also the time we gather at the dining room table for special meals. So if you have been invited for dinner at someone else’s house, there are some things to keep in mind so you can be the perfect guest. So here’s some guest Thanksgiving etiquette.

Arrive on time. Showing up late and keeping everyone waiting or causing the turkey to dry out
doesn’t win any points with your hostess.

Don’t come empty handed. Even if your hostess has the meal all taken care of be sure you bring some sort of hostess gift. This is a good time to bring wine or a gourmet food item that the host can use at another time.

If you are assigned a dish, be sure you bring what you say and that it is ready to go in the oven or be served so you don’t cause more confusion in the kitchen.

Sit where you are assigned. If place cards are on the table don’t move them around to sit by someone of your choice.

Bring your best manners to the table. If need be, brush up on your dining etiquette.

Don’t bring your technology to the table.

Make sure your children are supervised and well behaved at the table, too.

Try a little of everything served. You may find out that you like that oyster dressing.

Offer to help with the dishes.

Send a thank you note after the day .

Most of all, bring your good humor and be tolerant of those who may make you a little crazy at other times of the year. Be of good cheer.

 

Company Profile

Founded in 1999, the mission of Professional Courtesy and Karen Hickman is to present programs of the finest quality with the highest degree of professionalism.

The purpose of the seminars and programs is to enable professionals, executives, and individuals to conduct business in diverse cultural arenas with ease.
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Professional Courtesy, LLC
Etiquette/Protocol Consultants
P.O. Box 15353
Fort Wayne IN 46885-5353

Telephone: 260-486-7758
Facsimile: 260-486-7758
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