Expect a great deal of written communication, both to confirm and to maintain a record of
discussions and decisions. Even if you have a friendly or casual relationship with colleagues, you should
remember that on-the-job correspondence means that an e-mail is a business letter, in which
professionalism should not be forgotten. However, this varies and some individuals might not have a
greeting in the email and sign themselves with a single letter – abbreviating their first name. This is
increasingly widespread with the adoption of smartphones and tablet devices.
In The UK, it is generally not customary to state your full name including first and last name
when you answer the phone. In accordance with corporate identity trends, the customary way to answer a
phone at a British company is to state the name of the company and a greeting.
Making Contact
For the British manager, a handshake is the usual form of greeting on introduction. However, if
you are working with someone on a project and meeting over several days, it is possible that you will not
be offered a handshake each time –but would simply be greeted verbally. In the same way, after a
business meeting if you are going to meet again the next day you might not be offered a handshake.