‘Muting your colleagues’ and other tips to keep hybrid workplace professional

The hybrid work era presents more challenges than usual, making proper office etiquette more crucial than ever, according to a London-based professional coaching company.

Debrett’s etiquette expert Liz Wyse offered tips on how to keep the hybrid workplace professional.

“What’s the dress code when working from home? How do you eliminate distractions and present a professional façade online?” she said in an e-mailed statement. 

“This guide seeks to answer these questions so that both staff and employers can get the most out of a hybrid working arrangement.” 

To prepare for a meeting: 

Dress for success — Feel free to wear more relaxed, comfortable clothing when working from home, but be aware of the psychological impact of truly letting yourself go. Aim to dress as if you are in the room with other meeting attendees.
Eliminate virtual background clutter — Dress your set before the call. Evaluate your video background and try to eliminate chaotic bookshelves, discarded clothing, empty take-away containers, and distracting artwork.
Eat before the call — Avoid eating while talking so that people don’t focus on the food rather than what you’re saying. It’s preferable to eat before a meeting. 
Mute your work mates — If in the office, be wary of distracting noise. It’s quite acceptable to politely ask people in the work environment to keep their voices down and inform them that a virtual meeting will be taking place.

“You want your colleagues to focus on you,” Ms. Wyse said in her guide. 

Things to remember during a meeting: 

Avoid video motion sickness — Stay in a fixed position during video calls. People who carry their device to answer the door or wander around a room during video calls risk giving their colleagues a bad dose of motion sickness.
Beware of the danger of diversions — A home is full of diversions. Be it domestic chores, the garden, or visits to the fridge, distractions will impact productivity.
No meeting multitasking — It’s inappropriate to multitask during meetings, whether it’s looking at your phone or typing away while on a call. The mind should not be elsewhere.
Embrace long pauses — Do not be alarmed by long pauses during meetings and scramble to fill them with chatter. Silences are an invaluable way of giving people space to interject or expound. 

Samir Sayed, HP’s hybrid work solutions managing director for ASEAN, Korea, Pakistan, and other emerging markets, explained that these tips are important. 

“Thinking about how to make hybrid meetings feel more natural will create an equal meeting experience, whether people are in the room or dialing-in from home,” he said. 

Other reminders: 

Give a royal wave — Ending a video call can sometimes feel a bit awkward. To make calls feel more friendly and inclusive, the abrupt finality of pressing ‘End call’ can be softened by colleagues giving each other a wave goodbye. 
Say no to stoic sickness syndrome — Do not struggle into the office if you have got a cough or cold or anything contagious. Especially coming from a pandemic, nobody will applaud your stoicism.

“With people increasingly splitting their time between the office and home, how we conduct ourselves at work has changed drastically,” Ms. Wyse added.  

“It is clear that hybrid working offers many benefits, including greater flexibility and a better work-life balance,” she said. 

“However, that’s not an excuse to let etiquette slip, and standards should stay the same regardless of where you’re working from.” — Brontë H. Lacsamana