Minding your Ps and Qs in Taiwan

One-third of office workers fail etiquette test

A man and a woman walk into your office; do you know who to introduce to whom first?

Who should reach out their hand first for a handshake — the man or woman?

If you don’t know the answers, then you’re in good company. Less than 20 per cent of workers in Taiwan knew the answer to the first question and only one-third of workers knew the answer to the second.

The results of a recent survey, which 34 per cent of the 720 office workers polled failed, has some in that country worried about the state of workplace etiquette.

According to the survey, workers’ knowledge of workplace etiquette averages only 63 on a 100-point scale. However, 92 percent of the respondents said workplace etiquette is one of the requirements in getting a job.

Surprisingly, senior workers who have worked for 11 to 14 years score the lowest at 60.56, lower than workers who have worked for less than one year, those who have worked for two to five years and those who have worked for six to 10 years.

Most workers cited the workplace as the main source for learning etiquette, while television programs were a close second.

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