Are there etiquette rules about how women should be treated in business?
I have some rules about etiquette for women in business, that I think are fairly important, at least, they are to me. When a woman makes a suggestion in business, don't interrupt her. It's often hard for women to speak in meetings, and in board meetings. It's etiquette to give her the privilege of listening to her until she finishes her thought. And don't trump her with a masculine, loud voice. If a woman does a good job in business, don't reward her with more work. Reward her with promotion, with the permission to have more authority, and, of course, with income. I think that's important for women in business today. If a woman is shy about speaking up in a meeting, call on her, and ask what she thinks. I think that's very nice. It's also very polite, with women in business, not to expect her to do the clean-up just because she's a woman, after a business meeting. Gentlemen, pick up your coffee cups, and police your own area, so that you can clean up after yourself. I'd also like to suggest that you assume that a woman is as competent as a man, when given a task. Don't assume, just because she's a woman, that she doesn't have the energy to do the task. Id also like to say -- maybe this is a sensitive issue with me because of my own age -- that women are turning gray. Their hair is turning gray in the workplace. It's all right if a woman's gray in the workplace. Now, in the fifties, and sixties, and even seventies women that had gray hair were considered less competent than a man, because they assumed that because of their age, they didn't have the energy to get the job done. Women are going gray every day in the workplace. Just because she's got gray hair, gentlemen, doesn't mean that she cant do the job. Consider these etiquette rules when interacting with a woman in the workplace.
