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Top computer experts are earning vast amounts of cash per day for telling US executives how to successfully manage ideas of etiquette alongside their new technology. Professionals can now earn up to $6,000 a day - £3,000 plus, by addressing wireless etiquette worries, such as the use and abuse of handheld phones and laptop PCs in the workplace. The systems targeted are often brought in by executives to improve employee productivity and save time, but growing numbers point to users misusing technology to interact with co-workers. Anne Marie Sabath, founder of At Ease group, said she advises clients on everything from the dangers of business casual through email and instant messaging, to lessons on effective listening. “When people feel that others are just a keystroke away, they fail to employ any time management skills,” said Ms Sabath. “People should gather their thoughts and pull their questions together before they start typing. It saves everyone time.” She blamed instant messaging systems from Yahoo! and Time Warner’s AOL as troublemakers that let staff and contracted workers share every passing thought. At Ease recommends professionals should not respond to any message, whether it’s via telephone, email or IM, until they can give it their full attention. The recent Wireless Etiquette Survey from Sprint group, shows 80 per cent of respondents said that people are less considerate using their mobile, than they were five years ago. Sixty-four per cent saw themselves as “very courteous” when it came to using handhelds in public or at work, but more than half admitted to feeling “unimportant” when someone they’re talking to decides to answer a call. Seventy per cent of those questioned added they had often overheard a mobile phone conversation being carried out in public restroom. Hilka Klinkenberg, president at Etiquette International, said: “People send instant messages without giving any thought to whether the other person is free. You should ask someone if someone has a minute at the outset.” She added that professionals who make calls from train stations or busy streets should stop to think about the person on the other end of the line. “If it’s not an urgent call, why subject to sirens and other nosy distractions?” Etiquette International, based in New York, added that executives using technology in a courteous fashion is not just a matter of basic politeness or common sense. “It shouldn’t be in the name of manners,” said Ms Klinkenberg. “It should be done in the name of relationships. Manners make relationships go smoothly. It’s all about interacting with co-workers, clients and managers so they feel valued.” Despite ongoing etiquette failures, experts believe that at some point business and humans will eventually catch up – only to be given a new range of gadgets: “Technology usually outpaces our behaviour” confirmed Klinkenberg. The move to clampdown on technology creep is to get fresh publicity in the UK, as British fathers could soon be urged to switch off mobiles when they play with their children at state sponsored parent classes. The idea is being considered under a new government initiative under Margaret Hodge, the Minister for Children, which seeks to improve family life. Research has shown that the trait among fathers of chatting into their mobile phones while playing with their children annoys their offspring more than almost any other habit. Aug 13, 2004 Email this article Printer friendly page Previous Page
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