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"Are you pregnant?" Many moons ago, I blurted those inappropriate words to a colleague as she washed her hands in the office bathroom. As I glanced at her reflection in the mirror, I noticed a tiny bump, and without thinking, I asked if she were pregnant. She smiled and said yes, pleased that I could tell. I congratulated her warmly. She beamed. I was lucky. The situation turned out well, but it could have easily turned ugly. What if she didn't want to talk about it? What if

It is office holiday party season.  Finally, an opportunity to throw off those boring work clothes, forget about those pesky business etiquette rules and let the real you out! Just kidding. (And if you didn’t catch the joke…I highly recommend that you continue reading.) Seriously, have a great time – mingle, laugh and if you please, even imbibe a little, but never forget, you are at work. Even if the boss takes everyone on a trip to Hawaii or rents Malfoy Manor, you are stil

You’ve exchanged countless emails with your global business partner and you’ve followed her social media content. You feel like you know her - you can rattle off her work history for the past 5 years, her good reads, her favorite musical artists and where she vacationed last summer. So when it’s time for a face-to-face meeting, you’re ready to go, right? Not exactly. While it is true that the information you’ve gleaned from social media and emails will be very useful, you als

Ask 5 people to define business casual and you will get 5 different answers. This is the problem with business casual, the rules aren’t clear. Prior to the 1990’s, dressing for the office was easy – you dressed up. Suits and ties for men and pantyhose and makeup for women were all part of the dress for success ethos. You could count on being appropriately dressed for work if you followed the rules. However, all that changed with the rise of techie start-up culture in the Sil

"Respect for ourselves guides our morals; respect for others guides our manners." Laurence Sterne As I sat down to write this business etiquette blog for The Estrin Report, I wondered, are good manners a requirement for business success? Not surprisingly, the answer is an unequivocal no. Anyone who has worked in corporate America can effortlessly think of at least two people who are rude and inconsiderate, but who are nevertheless wildly rich and successful. What is the poin