The New Rules Of Business Etiquette

Knock before entering a cubicle.

Try to approach from within your colleague's sight line. Pause before entering. Ask if now is a good time to talk.

Call or e-mail before you arrive.

Instead of making a beeline for your colleague's cubicle, get in touch in advance, and ask what would be a convenient time for you to drop by. 

Don't leave voicemail messages when you know the person is out.

Midnight is not a good time to leave a voicemail or send a note. If you get a brainstorm in the middle of the night, write an e-mail and put it in your draft folder. Hit "Send" at 9 the next morning.

If you're the boss, don't send demanding e-mails on the weekend.

Unless your team is on a shotgun deadline, compose your instructions over the weekend, but don't send them until Monday morning.

If you get a weekend e-mail from the boss, you may take a day to reply.

You can't ignore a boss's weekend request completely, but you can wait 24 hours before responding. It's fine to set a boundary around your personal time.

Don't wear headphones in the elevator or hallway.

"Wearing earplugs is like putting a Do Not Disturb sign on you," Oliver says. It sends the message that you want to be left alone, an unfriendly gesture at best.

Don't check e-mail in the lobby or elevator.

"That's acting like you're in an isolation tank," Oliver points out. Elevators and hallways are great places to connect socially with colleagues. Use the opportunity.

Don't touch your colleagues' food in the office fridge.

Boundaries are important in today's intense office environment. That includes respecting the fact that you didn't buy that container of yogurt, no matter how hungry you are.

Dress one notch up from office casual.

Mark Zuckerberg may sport T-shirts, but you should wear a shirt with a collar.

Use humor to recover from a faux pas.

Did you say or do something that violates etiquette rules? Poke fun at yourself. Send an e-mail after the fact that's part apology, part self-deprecating joke.