Professional etiquette for 2016

Do you schedule back-to-back meetings where you always show up late? Do you show up at work even when you can't stop sneezing all over your co-workers? If this sounds like you, then something has to change. Poor workplace manners can be stressful to those around you. So boost employee morale and productivity this new year with Next Step's guidelines for workplace etiquette:

1. If you're sneezing all over your co-workers...

Call in sick. If it's a matter of life or getting laid off, you can always work from home. Call in early or send your boss a text or an email. While no one's encouraging you to make a habit of it, your office probably won't fall apart in your absence. Plus, you don't want to get others infected.

2. If you're late and you can't help it...

Call ahead. Especially if you're relieving someone from a shift, be sure to give them a heads-up.

Same applies for meetings and all other work-related engagements. Plus if you have a tendency to show up late to back-to-back meetings, reschedule. Perhaps it's time to rethink your planner. No one likes being detained in a meeting room beyond the allotted amount of time. And you don't want the next group to hover and sigh in the hallway waiting for you and your group to wrap it up.

3. Say no to tacky Europop ringtones

Okay it's not the 2000s anymore and people have probably moved onto trashy dubstep ringtones. But there are better ways to show off your exquisite taste in music than super loud electro-house-trance ringtones. Put your phone on vibrate or pick a tune that's subtle and non-intrusive to prevent disturbing others.

On the topic of phones, be aware of how load you speak on the telephone. If you get a call on your cell, take it outside the cubicle.

4. Aroma awareness

Bustle advises professionals to exercise aroma awareness. Be it food, hygiene, perfume—make sure you're not suffocating your co-workers to death. Avoid excess perfume or cologne or leave it out altogether.

When it comes to co-workers, it's probably best not to say it in the company of colleagues that their food is stinking up the whole office. Take them aside. And if the stench is really not so bad, don't judge, keep that trap shut.

5. Brush up on your inter-personal skills

Smile. You'll feel better and so will the other person. Next, look the part—fix your posture. People will see you as more confident and competent.

When you meet someone, offer a handshake. Remember: the higher-up should always extend their hand first. And if you're introducing yourself to someone you haven't met in a while, give them your name. It doesn't hurt.

And never ever yell or scream in an office setting. Compassion and civility always earn you more respect than asserting your authority with force. (Don't bite your nails in front of your team either.)

6. Respect your co-worker's time

First off, respect the weekend. Do your job, but try not to let your work life spill over into your time off or someone else's time off. If it can't wait till Sunday, find a non-imposing way to send a message. Send an email or a text and be sure to mention that the other person can get back to you in the next work week. 

Second of all, stop bothering someone while they're at their desk knee-deep in work. If they look like they're absorbed in their work, they probably are—back off! Save the chit-chat for the tea break.

7. If you're grateful...

Show it. "Please", "thank you", and "you are welcome" should be part of your regular vocabulary. They make all the difference to the other person.

Write a thank you note when you can. It'll mean way more to the person receiving it than any ordinary email.

Last but not least, respect other people's property as well as the company's. Don't take without asking. Use reply-all sparingly and keep your frustrations off social media, and you're good to go.