Miss Manners’ Basic Business Rules

1. Have a life--which is to say, a private life--so you won’t be tempted to gossip, flirt and collect money to give parties at the office.

2. Be especially courteous to people who rank below you because it is the right thing to do (and if that isn’t a sufficient reason, because they know enough about you to do a lot of damage).

3. Pretend that you do not notice anyone’s gender on the job, and don’t bother explaining that you find this difficult because, in fact, you do notice.

4. Translate the word “friendly,” when you hear it in a business context, as “cheerful and helpful” rather than as an invitation to treat colleagues, bosses or customers like your beer buddies.

5. Do not make your excuse for not doing something more time-consuming and tedious than the task that you did not do.