It's an unfortunate reality we all have to face. COVID-19 is here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future, and as a result many common etiquette practices have been drastically altered and in some cases, all but abandoned. Handshakes have been replaced by elbow taps, standards of dress have been relaxed, and reliance on digital means of communication has skyrocketed. Even so, this does not mean that all standards of professionalism have to be thrown out the window. While many of us have had the fortunate ability to work remotely since March, several industries still require in-person meetings, appointments, and hands-on interactions. Aside from the obvious sectors like healthcare and customer service, this is also true for many legal and financial institutions.
Although practices and regulations among states and locales vary, it is imperative to follow recommended guidelines in order to reduce the risk of spreading illness in the community. While some things are very clear (wearing a mask, washing hands, maintaining adequate distance, etc.), others are not so cut-and-dry (maintaining your wardrobe more frequently, keeping living areas and workspaces clean, wiping down door handles, leaving shoes at the door). The former are obvious, while the latter may vary considerably between each person's comfort level. But the important thing to remember is that no matter where you work or where you live, communication is key to providing the safest and most comfortable environment possible.
In this article, we'll discuss the ways in which you can still adhere to professionalism standards while maintaining health and safety protocols in an ever-changing social landscape. It is sometimes very hard to break old social habits (humans are a very social species after all), and adjusting can be more difficult at first than you might think.
For the purposes of this article, we'll start with one of the less obvious changes to everyday routines. Everyone who's ever owned a modest selection of suits for work understands the pain of forking over those excessive dry cleaning bills, and those with five or more suits in their closet tend to cut a few corners on trips to the cleaners when they can get away with it. Unfortunately, the pandemic has drastically reduced this ability. If your place of work requires you to be physically present in an office, it is wise to only wear your suit once before you clean it. That being said, there is more than one way to keep your suits clean, and if your dry cleaning bill is getting in the way of better things you could spend your money on, consider spot-cleaning, UV-C lights, or washing certain elements of your wardrobe in the washing machine or by hand.
UV-C light technology has been in use for almost 100 years, and it's a great way to disinfect and clean clothing and equipment without damaging its structural components. It works best as an adjunct rather than by itself, but it does offer a cost-effective alternative to hand washing or dry cleaning when those more
traditional methods may not be convenient to do with such increased frequency. Several UV-C devices are available online and don't break the bank too much; just be sure to keep these devices away and out of reach from houseplants and household pets, as it is still a source of radiation and can potentially cause harm.
If UV-C lights aren't the right fit for you, consider purchasing a steam iron to keep your suits clean and wrinkle-free throughout the week. While it requires more work than UV-C lights, it's less of a potential hazard and it's still cheaper than running to the dry cleaners every other day.
The handshake is ubiquitous. It's the universal sign of trust and competence in the business world, and also the proper way to introduce oneself in all settings in cultures across the globe. However, the handshake has all but disappeared almost overnight, being replaced with several other, more contact-minimizing greetings.
The safest replacement to the handshake by far is a simple wave. While it might seem like an awkward thing to do at first, almost everyone understands why a wave is more polite than extending one's hand during these trying times. It shows that you are acknowledging the other person while maintaining proper social distancing protocols.
In some social circles, tapping elbows or bumping fists might also be appropriate. While these greetings are riskier than a simple wave, they still minimize contact in comparison to a handshake. In all likelihood, it won't be considered rude if you decline someone's fist bump. At the end of the day, it really comes down to your own and the other person's comfort level.
Hugs are also worth mentioning, and should be avoided except in the context of close family members or other people you live with. While hugs are less common in the business world, they are not completely unheard of. As it is physically impossible to adhere to social distancing standards with this greeting, people shouldn't be offended if you decide to stand in place or back away. As we said before, a wave is usually sufficient.
While a lot of this might sound like common sense, it's important to emphasize these situations, as the ways of doing business have changed so suddenly over the last six months. Which brings us to our next point.
The company you work for has decided to shut all of its offices down temporarily, forcing all of its employees to work remotely. If this pandemic happened 30 years ago, this major switch would have likely been a logistical and technological nightmare. Fortunately for everyone living in today's world, Internet connections are commonplace, connectivity speeds are higher than they've ever been, and the infrastructure to handle so many more remote workers is already in place. Transitioning from an office to a work-from-home environment should be easy, right?
Well, yes and no. While working remotely takes away the burden of long commutes and excessive water cooler chatter, there are potentially more distractions, as you may not be confined to a single desk and you may have others in your household also working from home. At a bare minimum, you should always treat your new home office space the same way you would treat your office away from home. Getting ready for the day as you normally would otherwise and sticking to standard working hours will allow you to establish a routine so you can stay focused, as some people find these new adjustments more difficult than others. Sticking to a routine will put you miles ahead of everyone else, and you may even find that your workday becomes shorter as your productivity increases the longer you've been working remotely. The other big component of working outside the office is communication.
It might be tempting to show up to your Zoom or Skype meeting wearing nothing but a bathrobe or an old T-shirt, but it's important to keep in mind that a little professionalism goes a long way. While you might not be required to wear a suit for your temporary remote positions, you should at least shoot for business casual, especially when you have to conduct video calls or any other face-to-face digital correspondence. Another thing to consider is that while dressing up may not be mandatory, for some people it helps them establish a more rigid, structured routine. The same goes for the space in your home that you use for work. While nothing beats spreading out on the couch with a laptop by your side, designating a spare room for an exclusive workspace can help minimize those inevitable distractions, and you might even be able to save money on your taxes, too, by taking advantage of the home office deduction.
Not all of us during these times have the luxury of working from home. Some offices never closed, and when the severity of the pandemic begins to fade, more will reopen for business. Keeping office spaces clean, especially shared or common areas, is a large component of reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Always keep plenty of spare masks handy at your desk, don't be shy with hand sanitizer, and make sure to wipe down your phones and keyboards. The latter is important in offices where you might even share a desk with somebody else when shifts change. One other thing that often gets overlooked is disinfecting your shoes. Whenever you come home, you might want to take them off first-thing, leave them by the door, and clean the bottoms of them after each use. This will reduce the chances of bringing in unwanted germs into your home from the outside.
While social norms and business etiquette have drastically changed, sticking to social distancing standards doesn't mean you have to throw common practices completely to the wind. If you are required to go into an office every day, make sure to take extra care in maintaining your wardrobe. Steam irons and UV-C lights can save time and money on those otherwise extra trips to the cleaners. It's also essential that you keep your workspace as clean as possible, especially in shared-desk arrangements. Keep as much distance as possible when meeting and greeting new people. If you work remotely, keeping a routine is one of the best ways to stay on top of things, even if it means dressing up a little bit when you don't have to.
From all of us at Enzo Custom, we wish you a safe and healthy rest of the year, and together by following safety and cleanliness measures, we can get through this as quickly and carefully as possible.