Many professionals take continuing education. Let’s add etiquette classes | Gene Marks
Guardian AU Business
•Sun, 13 Sep 2026 11:00:04 GMT
📰 What Happened
Columnist Gene Marks argues that professional training should include etiquette, not just ethics. He notes that accountants must earn at least 80 hours of professional education every two years, and that lawyers, engineers and trades have similar rules. He says a venture capital firm even runs an etiquette finishing school for founders, teaching suits, wine and caviar, which he calls useless for most people.
🔍 The Backstory
Marks says real etiquette means saying please and thank you, being on time, putting your phone away in a conversation and using earbuds in public. It also means not commenting on how someone looks and respecting views you disagree with. He argues this matters more than ever because the US workplace is far more diverse than it was a few generations ago.
🎯 Why It Matters
Good manners cost nothing but can decide who gets hired, promoted or trusted. In a workplace full of different backgrounds, knowing how to treat people is a real skill.
Columnist Gene Marks argues that professional training should include etiquette, not just ethics. He notes that accountants must earn at least 80 hours of professional education every two years, and that lawyers, engineers and trades have similar rules. He says a venture capital firm even runs an etiquette finishing school for founders, teaching suits, wine and caviar, which he calls useless for most people.
Marks says real etiquette means saying please and thank you, being on time, putting your phone away in a conversation and using earbuds in public. It also means not commenting on how someone looks and respecting views you disagree with. He argues this matters more than ever because the US workplace is far more diverse than it was a few generations ago.
Good manners cost nothing but can decide who gets hired, promoted or trusted. In a workplace full of different backgrounds, knowing how to treat people is a real skill.