Business Etiquette - Quick Tips for Work at Home Moms

Here's a growing list of quick tips to keep you up to date on business etiquette and protocol.

Contributor Melissa Leonard, certified by the Protocol School of Washington, presents corporate etiquette and international protocol seminars and briefings to financial institutions, corporations and private clients. Visit her website at  www.establishyourselfNY.com.
 

NEW! All Work, No Play

We have all heard the saying, “its quality, not quantity that is important”. Long hours do not necessarily make you more productive. Mothers who decide to work from home do so in order to see and spend more time with their family. Since, you are not in an office where you actually must go home to make dinner or pick up the kids, work-at-home moms tend to feel they must work all the time and only take short break spurts here and there.

We all seem to get in the mindset of “well, I can’t go play tennis or go out to lunch because I should be working.” There is nothing wrong with setting a time each week where you spend a few hours playing tennis, shopping for yourself or going out with ‘the girls’. If you don’t take the time for yourself each week, you may find that you are not as productive. In addition, do take the time to stop during the day to do housework and chores. Personally, I find that my best work decisions and creative ideas come while I am folding laundry or unloading the dishwasher. The mental break away from work may be just what you need to brainstorm or come up with that great new idea. No matter how you decide to use your free time away from your home office, make it a weekly ritual and you will find that when you return, you will feel refreshed and invigorated.
 

Keeping In Touch

A few weeks ago, we touched on some networking dilemmas that work-at-home moms often face. Today, I would like to discuss how to use your past jobs and relationships to help your business not only grow, but flourish. Prior to being a stay-at-home mother, you probably had a least one or two jobs. Etiquette dictates that there is nothing wrong with using those connections to help boost your own business. Perhaps you had an old boss who knows that your skills and quality of work were impeccable. Take the time to contact these individuals and let them know what you are up to. You must remember that bosses or colleagues are now business peers and you must present and handle yourself in such a manner. Most people who you used to work for or with will be thrilled to see your business thrive and grow and they can be wonderful asset for your business. Remember, each person you can network with has friends, family and other colleagues who may be the perfect fit to help grow your business.

More Quick Tips:
Business Telephone Calls	Proper Introductions
Email Etiquette	Business Meetings in the Home
Are You Busy?	Life In Your Home Office
Unexpected Payments: To Accept or Not to Accept	When Your Healthy Home/Work Life Balance Is In Jeopardy
Dealing with Difficult People	Equal Share
Returning Phone Calls	Handling  Little Awkward Situations
Call Waiting Etiquette	Should I Take The Blame?
Networking Dilemma	It’s Not Your Job Title That Is Important….