PROFESSIONALISM in the workplace is an essential and important part of corporate etiquette.
Yet, in today’s corporate world, it is rarely practised, especially among the younger generation. In fact, most working individuals do not fully comprehend what professionalism is in the workplace.
At work, professionalism refers to an individual carrying out the job with commitment, responsibility and sincerity while maintaining professional etiquette and ethics.
It is free of office politics or mind games and completely unbiased towards any individual.
Professionalism means carrying out the work with quality and excellence in mind.
Professionalism in the workplace is characterised by the following:
• Keep a high standard in your work performance.
Always ensure that you are giving your best in everything you do. Whether it is in terms of your work quality or your collaboration with others, make sure that you are doing everything possible to produce a positive outcome.
• Hold fast to your commitment at every single moment to your superior and your colleagues.
In other words, be committed to give full support to your bosses and colleagues in order to complete any task or project.
• Showing appreciation towards the time and effort given by your peers or superiors is another aspect of professionalism.
A true professional will not take others’ efforts for granted in the knowledge that it takes more than one person’s effort to get a job done.
• Be sensitive to the confidentiality of the information that you come across when you are carrying out your work.
There are things that can be discussed and made known, while there are certain sensitive issues that should be kept in strict confidence.
Your sensitivity and ability to keep confidential information will make you a trustworthy professional.
• Make sure that you always conduct yourself well in the workplace; abide by the rules and regulations of the organisation and adhere to a certain set of work principles.
By your good conduct, you will be able to set an example for others and be a good role model.
Professionalism in the workplace is very important as its presence will bring about a positive working environment and great success to an organisation.
With professionalism, people will give their best in carrying out their work.
In this way, they support and help one another by producing high quality work.
Since office politics and mind games do not exist, staff are able to work together to achieve organisational goals while pursuing their personal career development.
With the absence of unfair or biased treatment, employees will be motivated to contribute their best as they know that their effort will be rewarded accordingly and fairly.
In a professional environment, the assessment of employee performance is not only based on the quantity but also quality of work.
With this, the employees’ skills and efforts will be given due recognition.
Professionalism in the workplace creates a conducive environment where no one will feel threatened, being taken advantage of or suffer unfair treatment.
A professional work environment is a pleasant work environment.
Priscilla Hiu is a career guidance consultant of Gracia Management and a certified behavioural consultant of DISC Personality Profiling System, Institution of Motivation Living, USA and Extended DISC Personality Profiling System, Extended DISC Northgate.