Mind your workplace manners -- it pays
Mannersmaketh the businessman, with a global survey finding Americans and Britons to be the most easily insulted by lack of workplace etiquette, while Australians are among the most offensive.
The survey, by Australian-based international office space provider Servcorp, listed the top five most offensive workplace behaviors as not saying hello or good morning, not offering office guests a beverage, speaking loudly across the room, using swear words and taking calls on mobile phones.
The use of stationery without permission and asking colleagues about their personal lives were also deemed insulting.
The poll then revealed the United States and Britain to be the most sensitive nations in the world, despite 60 percent of respondents believing Japan has the strictest work etiquette.
English and American businessmen were also more easily offended than their colleagues in the Middle East, Japan and China, nations with cultural traditions spanning centuries.
Almost 25 percent of Australians, however, thought it was perfectly acceptable to swear -- something the majority of Japanese and Middle Easterners found deeply offensive.
Nearly all Australians polled also said they would not think twice about addressing their boss by their first name, something Chinese business people found very rude.
Australians also regularly talk loudly at work, take personal calls and ask too many personal questions, the survey showed.
"Being aware of potentially offensive behavior is a key factor to Australian business success abroad," Taine Moufarrige, Servcorp's executive director, said in a statement.
"Australians are very natural in their business style, perhaps more so than any other country in the world," she said, adding that the survey, which was sent to some 700 businesspeople in 13 countries, was commissioned to help Australians.
The survey found that although they are not easily offended, Australians were more ticked off than their international colleagues by business people don't offer guests beverages.
举止造就“商”人。日前一项针对职场礼节的全球调查显示，美国人和英国人最易因疏于礼节而被惹恼，而澳大利亚人则最“不拘小节”。
这项调查由澳大利亚的全球办公空间服务提供商Servcorp公司开展，共列出五种最无礼的职场行为，其中包括不向同事问好或不说早上好、不为来客提供饮料，在办公室大声喧哗、说粗话及接手机等。
此外，未经允许使用办公用品及询问同事的私人生活问题也被视为无礼。
调查结果显示，美国人和英国人最在意办公室礼节，尽管有60%的受访者认为日本的办公室礼节最严格。
与具有悠久文化传统的中东、日本和中国等国家相比，英国和美国的商界人士更容易因疏于礼节而被冒犯。
而近25%的澳大利亚受访者认为说粗话完全可以接受，而日本和中东的多数受访者则对此深恶痛绝。
几乎所有的澳大利亚受访者认为直呼老板的名字很正常，而中国受访者则认为这样做很无礼。
此外，调查显示，澳大利亚人在办公时经常大声说话，接打私人电话，而且爱打听同事的私人问题。
Servcorp公司执行董事泰纳•马法利在一份声明中说：“澳大利亚企业要注意潜在的职场无礼行为，这对于能否在海外获得成功至关重要。”
她说：“澳大利亚人的商务礼节可能比其它任何国家都要宽松。”她还称这项调查主要是为了帮助澳大利亚人。来自13个国家的约700名商界人士参与了该调查。
调查发现，尽管澳大利亚人不易被冒犯，但与其它国家的人相比，他们更会因不为客人提供饮料而生气。

Vocabulary:
maketh:(archaic) third person singular form of make[古语] make的第三人称形式
think twice about: to weigh something carefully（仔细地衡量某件东西或某件事；例如：I'd think twice before spending all that money on clothes.在把所有的钱花在衣服上之前得三思。）
ticked off:to get angry or annoyed at something（对某事感到生气）