What does professionalism mean to you?
What does it mean to be a professional? “A professional is someone who displays high levels of expertise and efficiency”. Is it enough to simply do your job well? Is this different than being professional?
Now that the COVID vaccine is being put in arms, many workers will be returning to the workplace. Remote work has resulted, for many, in a relaxing of standards. This is a good time for a refresher on professionalism in the workplace.
My HR Partner clients sometimes ask me to work with their teams to be more professional. At first most people think this means how you communicate over the phone, in person and via email. That’s a good start but there is more to it.
Behaviors that demonstrate professionalism are:
Dependability – Can the employee be relied upon to independently meet work commitments/deadlines with a minimum degree of supervision and to follow through on tasks to completion.
Communication – Ability to effectively speak, write and listen with all stakeholders with a spirit of cooperation and respect.
Problem Solving – Ability to identify and resolve real or potential problems in an effective and timely manner and logically analyze alternative solutions or make recommendations. Also considers the impact on co-workers and customers.
Proactive – Having a positive willingness to flow with change and develop solutions. Strive for progress, not perfection.
Teamwork – Displaying a cooperative effort to act together as a team, each doing a clearly defined portion to achieve a common goal.
Etiquette – Neatness, appropriate dress, appearance, demeanor, conduct, tact, maturity and the impression the individual makes on others.
The list of professional characteristics to encourage from your team could be longer! These are some of the main points I discuss when working with teams. It is important for managers to think deeply about what they mean when they use the word professional. Be willing and able to give examples of the behaviors you want when you make professionalism a value of your team.
That’s what a professional would do.
