Etiquette Tips & Quips Juanita Ecker’s Blog

We recently went on a vacation to Bath, Maine, and stayed at a bed and breakfast. The owner of the bed and breakfast had this wonderful Italian sheep dog named Lupini (pictured). Every time I talked to the dog, I found myself lifting up the hair on the front of his face so that I [...]

By Juanita Ecker A customer shared with me that the company he works for recently downsized and let many people go. He is one of the lucky ones to still have a job. However, because they cut people from his department, his responsibilities and workload have increased. He spends most nights and weekends trying to [...]

By Juanita Ecker Recently a friend contacted me about a sticky situation: Her employer has decided to no longer cover alcohol on company expense reports. I suspect this drastic measure was implemented because employees were taking advantage of the situation by, say, ordering a $90 bottle of wine because they knew the company would cover [...]

By Juanita Ecker Many people dream of working from home. It’s convenient, your time is more or less your own, and you can work in a space that’s more creative and intimate than a tiny cubicle. But in reality, it can be difficult to focus on your work and get into business mode when you [...]

By Juanita Ecker Comedian Gilbert Gottfried may get laughs for being outrageous and crude when he’s on stage, but nobody was smiling when he tweeted a series of inappropriate jokes making light of the devastating Japanese tsunami and earthquake. His bad taste also cost him his cushy job as the voice of the Aflac duck. [...]

By Juanita Ecker A few weeks ago, Tiger Woods spit on the green and was fined $100,000 for bad sportsmanship. Suppose you got fined at work every time you were rude or disrespectful to others. Would you act differently? Would you think twice about your behavior? When someone makes an etiquette breach at the office, [...]