Do you greet your coworkers when you arrive at work?
If you work at a big company, how do you decide who to greet?
This is likely very cultural!
It also depends on your relationships and the company size.
Today you’ll learn who you should greet at the workplace.
Working in an office
Lindsay asks Aubrey about the last time she worked in an office.
Aubrey shared she was Program Coordinator for Eller MBA at the University of Arizona.
She worked at a desk in an office in a traditional work environment.
Lindsay shared that she was an intern in 2012 at a cross-cultural training for a summer.
This is when she realized she wanted to start her own business.
It can be more comfortable to work from home but there are advantages to working in an office.
The social interactions are one of the biggest perks.
Today’s question
Today’s episode is inspired by a listener’s question from Youtube.
Here is the question:
Hi, how are you? When you arrive at the office, do you say hi to everybody there? @dursilva
It would be nice to greet everyone in the office.
However, in the workplace, there are some things you need to consider when deciding whom to greet.
Check out episode BE 270: What to Say in the Elevator at Work to learn ways to start a conversation when you’re in the elevator with a colleague.
Greeting workmates
Lindsay and Aubrey talk about three things that you have to consider when deciding whom to greet in the office.
This can help you build good work relationships with your colleagues and superiors.
Greetings might be different in different countries or cultures.
It depends on the culture and what the norm is.
Lindsay shares that in Buenos Aires, it’s normal to greet someone with a kiss on a cheek.
In America, a greeting like, “Hello!” is normal.
Here are some other things to consider when deciding who to greet at work.
#1: Consider your role
There are some roles that require greeting or checking in on people at work.
Aubrey shares that in her role as Operations Manager at a small nonprofit organization, she had to go around and greet individuals.
As a leader in her role, it was important for her to check in with colleagues and make her presence felt in case they needed any help.
If you’re working remotely, you can still greet colleagues via email with a quick morning greeting.
#2: Consider company size
In a larger company, greeting everyone is a challenge.
You won’t have time to even say ‘hi’ to everyone.
It’s a good idea to greet those you pass on the way to your office.
It’s definitely easier to go around and greet people when you’re in a smaller company.
#3: Consider time
Considering time and the occasion is another thing to consider before greeting someone in the office.
You can think about how long it’s been since you last saw them.
A coworker may have just returned from vacation or is celebrating a birthday.
In that case, it is nice to mention that when you greet them.
This will make your greeting more warm and thoughtful.
Formal and informal greetings
There are many phrases you can use to greet a coworker.
- How’s it going?
- What’s up?
- Good to see you! How are things?
These greetings are more informal.
You shouldn’t always be formal when you’re at work.
We don’t want to sound robotic or insincere.
Having more genuine and semi-formal greetings creates stronger connections in the workplace.
Roleplay
Now you know the three things to consider plus a few phrases to greet coworkers.
This roleplay shows how they’ll look in a real conversation.
In this scenario, Lindsay has just arrived in the office.
Lindsay: Hey there, Aubrey! How was your trip?
Aubrey: It was amazing!
Lindsay: Glad you had fun. Want to meet for lunch to tell me about it? I’d love to see photos!
Aubrey: Yes, that’d be great! Let’s do it!
Takeaway
Today’s three things to consider will help you know whom to greet at work.
Take into consideration your role, how much time you have and how much time has passed since you’ve seen someone.
Make sure you don’t sound too stiff and robotic by using formal greetings.
Greet someone in an informal way to sound more genuine and real.
Start a conversation with a good greeting in the workplace today!
What are other ways you greet your work colleagues in the office?
We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.