Some social rules may help you to look professional:
1. Don’t call someone more than twice continuously. If they don’t pick up your call that means they have something more important to attend to.
2. Return money that you have borrowed even before the other person remembers lending it to you. It shows your integrity and character. Same goes with umbrellas, pens and lunch boxes.
3. Never order the expensive dish on the menu when someone is treating you for lunch/dinner. If possible ask them to order their choice of food for you.
4. Don’t ask awkward questions like ‘Oh so you aren’t married yet?’ Or ‘Don’t you have kids’ or ‘Why didn’t you buy a house?’ For god’s sake it isn’t your problem.
5. Always open the door for the person coming behind you. Doesn’t matter if it is a guy or a girl. You don’t grow small by treating someone well in public.
6. If you take a taxi with a friend, and he/she pays now, you pay next time.
7. Respect different political opinions.
8. Never interrupt people talking.
9. If you tease someone, and they don’t seem to enjoy it, stop it and never do it again.
10. Say “thank you” when someone is helping you.
11. Praise publicly. Criticize privately.
12. There’s almost never a reason to comment on someone’s weight. Just say, “You look fantastic.” If they want to talk about losing weight, they will.
13. When someone shows you a photo on their phone, don’t swipe left or right. You never know what’s next.
14. If a colleague tells you they have a doctors appointment, don’t ask what it’s for, just say hope you’re ok. If they want to talk about it they will and you don’t put them in the uncomfortable position of having to tell you their personal illness.
15. Treat the cleaner with the same respect as the CEO. Nobody is impressed at how rudely you can treat someone below you but people will notice if you treat them with respect.
16. If a person is speaking directly to you, staring at your phone is rude.
17. Never give advice until you’re asked
18. When meeting someone after a long time, unless they want to talk about it, don’t ask them their age and salary.
19. Mind your own business unless anything involves you directly — just stay out of it.
20. Take off your sunglasses if you are talking to anyone in the street. It is a sign of respect and more eye contact is as important as your speech.