It's more than etiquette. When people spend a large portion of their time at work, they must have a sense of belonging, of being part of a team. When they do, they produce better. That's the Hawthorne Effect. One often hears a different interpretation of the Hawthorne Effect.
People use it when they talk about workers under the eye of the supervisor.
If someone should subtly observe workers on the job to see if they truly apply new procedures they've learned in a training course. Of course they'll do a good job if you're watching them, they tell her. Well not exactly. All rights reserved. Motivation Publications Free publication.