Professionalism
Situations
Situations
You show up to an interview, what should you be wearing?
Men: dress pants, button-up shirt, closed-toe shoes
Women: dress pants/ skirt, blouse, or a professional dress, closed-toe shoes
A coworker greets you in the morning.
Respond with a polite greeting back.
"Good morning! How are you today?"
A coworker snaps at you because they are stressed.
You want to ask your supervisor for more responsibilities.
"I believe I have been doing well with my current responsibilities, and I would like to have more."
When is appropriate to pull out your phone at work?
Always keep phone use to a minimum during work hours to maintain professionalism.
-Emergencies-Work-related communication
-Breaks
-Lunch
Overhear coworkers gossiping about a peer.
Stay professional and do not participate in gossip.
If they try to include you in you could respond:
"I'd rather not talk about that. We should get back to work."
A customer complains because you made a mistake.
"I am really sorry about that. Let me fix it for you right away."
You would like to ask for an extra break during your shift.
"I am feeling _______ (e.g., overwhelmed, stressed, etc.). Can I please have an extra break, or would you rather I wait until my scheduled time?"
You are running late to work and know you won't be on time.
Notify your supervisor immediately, provide an honest reason for the delay, offer an estimated arrival time, and express your apologies.
"I apologize for the inconvenience, but I am running late to my shift today because my ride picked me up late. I should arrive around 12:30."
Supervisor gives you instructions, but you do not understand.
Politely ask for clarification or repeat back what you think they meant.
"Could you please explain that one more time so I make sure I do it correctly?"
"I wanted to clarify, is this what you meant....?"
You feel overwhelmed with the amount of tasks that you have to complete.
A coworker keeps asking you personal questions but you do not want to answer.
"I appreciate you wanting to get to know me better, but I do not feel comfortable answering these questions."
"That is not something I usually handle. I am going to check with my supervisor first."
Your supervisor gives you feedback about your work that you do not agree with.
Stay calm and listen respectfully.
Ask polite questions if you need clarification.
"Thank you for the feedback. Could you help me understand what I could do differently?"
Your supervisor corrects you in front of your other coworkers.
"Okay, thank you for letting me know. I will work on adjusting that."
A coworker is talking to you like you are a child when they are training you in something new at work.
"I know you are helping, but you can talk to me like you talk to your other coworkers. I would appreciate learning the job the same way others do."