Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-11-30
Rules for Women i'm Office

rieuced business woman may receive her
mail ut her place OF business, and may
receive personal calls there without in
conveniencing any one or arousing COM
nent
But the younger business woman never
should receive personal callers in her Of
/ flee. She should have her personal mail
sent TO her home address, and she should
be careful about the number OF telephone
calls she receives or makes. Some Of
fces, perhaps wisely. have u no telc-
phonins' rule. Where there is no sucl,
rule the office telephone should be used
only in case OF emergency.
There are several reasons why these no
calls. no-teiephoRinS, no-ietters rules are
wise
To begin with. 3 young wonlans en-
pioyers and associates have much more
respect for her ii they know she has the
good taste to wish TO keep her own per
sonai affairs more or less 70 herself.
For another thing. the cInploye is OBJ
vious!v paid for her time. The tine she
gives to telephonin.s and receiving call
ers and opening her personal mail is
! time wasted. from her employer: point
of view. The time the telephone operator
and office boy give 10 taking care OF her
mail, her telephone nlesSages and her
callers is also time wasted, from the
business point of view.
In q certain office where by far the
greatest number of employees were WON
en- a feeling OF freedom from restraint
naturally grew IN. AnC = The end this
very freedom from restraint led to much
wasting of time.
There was one young woman who used
to have her shoes shinsd every morning.
after Office hours had begun. by the
bootb.ack who made the rounds of the
hIIiflinU Tho aSlr
and she wasted an inappreciable amount
of time over it. But others copied her
example. and before long there was
every morning 4 long row of dusty shoes
waiting for the bootblack.
Then one of the women got in the habit
of having Bootblack Joe put her shoe
buttons OH for her, and replenish her
shoe faces. Sometimes, when he would
put the buttons in q way that did not
suit her. he would have to do the work
over again. and one morning he sat for
half an hour in the middle of the floor
working over her shoes. while she sat.
her attention only half on her work and
the other women In the room hoped
around him at their various tasks. In the
aggregate fully an hours time was vast
ed. as far as the employer was con-
cerned.
Loyalty to the employer is a first rule
of business-or ought to be-with both
anu "Oiueil II YOU Ieci that you
cannot be loyal to the firm that employs
you, resign your position.
And this feeling OF loyalty ought to be
called on by the fastidious woman every
day. to help her over what at first often
seem real difficulties.
1t is said that the entrance of women
into business life has had an clevating
influence on offices. The men in offices
are almost always courteous and con-
siderate- In the old days perhaps they
often swore over their work, but they
don't often DO SO today. And if a wonl-
an occasionally hears a gentle ejacula-
ton from a man at neighboring desk,
she will find Ii far better, usually, to
cali on her sense of loyalty to the people
she Is working With and for, and close
her ears, than to look shocked.
There arc not many men like the one
who, one day. harassed beyond endur-
ance, said Darn over the telephone.
and then went about i'll an embarrassed
way and apologized to every woman
within hearing. But most men are cour-
teous and thoughtful, and If occasionally
they forget the presence of women are
doubtless sorry for 1t the next minute.
Courtesy ought to play a large part
in women's business careers, too. 1t is
really wonlan's most potent means of
getting ahead. Sometimes 1t is better
positions for women in business that
demand tact, womanliness and courteous
ness