New staff members and guests

Be well prepared for any visiting guests, or for the arrival of new staff members. Don’t leave everything to the last minute to organise.

All guests should be fetched from reception. Do not let your guests wander through the building looking for you.

Greet and introduce yourself to your guests by shaking hands. Do not use the ‘African’ handshake unless you are sure that they know it well.

Invite the guests to use your first name, and they may reciprocate. If they are guests of your superior, you should not use their first names unless they invite you to. People should be introduced to each other in a professional manner.

Guests visiting a manager should be taken to an agreed place such as a boardroom or the manager’s office. Make sure the manager has been notified of the visitor’s arrival.

Make sure the guests are introduced to everyone. Also make the necessary introductions if people from within the organisation don’t know each other, invite everyone to take a seat, and offer them something to drink.

All guests should be welcomed sincerely and made to feel at home as soon as possible.

Make sure that the guests have all the resources and information they need to do their job. The same applies to visitors who may be with you for a while, for instance consultants, auditors, trainers, facilitators, or people from Revenue Services. They will need to use relevant documentation and information—allow them access to everything necessary.

If a guest is to be provided with an office or work area, make sure that it is of a standard similar to one you would give to an employee working in a comparable role.

By Elsabé Manning

Elsabé runs accredited Professionalism in the Workplace workshops - SETQAA decision number 2075. For further information please contact her on elsabe@successfactory.co.za or 011 648 8969 or 084 371 9105

back to Articles list »