Professionalism in the Workplace (and IT misuse)

A few weeks ago, a headline in the Sunday paper caught my eye:  College ‘charm schools’ fill gap.  The article talked about how colleges are teaching students business etiquette, including things like how to master small talk.

“A good résumé and a degree only gets you to the table. Professional behaviors are what get you a job.” –Matthew Randall, Executive Director of the Center for Professional Excellence at York College in Pennsylvania.

Intrigued with the concept of a “center for professional excellence,” I tracked down Matthew Randall, and sent him a copy of my book Small Talk Big Results.  He sent me the above infographic (Click here for a pdf of the infographic) as well as the full length 2012 study).

What I found most surprising was the section on IT misuse on the job.  Approximately 4 out of 5 respondents saw misuse in these  areas:

• excessive use of social media
• text messaging at inappropriate times
• inappropriate internet use.

Clearly there is a mismatch between actual and expected behavior.

What challenges with IT misuse or other professionalism issues have you seen at work?