Business Manners

拝見する is the 謙譲語Ⅰ (humble language I) form of 見る (to look). 謙譲語Ⅰ is keigo that elevates the person your action is directed toward (the listener or a third party); 伺う, 申し上げる and お届けする belong to the same group. The Guidelines for Keigo (a 2007 report of the Council for Cultural Affairs) sort keigo into five categories: 尊敬語 (respectful), 謙譲語Ⅰ (humble I), 謙譲語Ⅱ (courteous), 丁寧語 (polite) and 美化語 (beautifying). Japanese job-hunting manner books and written tests use this same classification.

いらっしゃる (to go / to come / to be), おっしゃる (to say) and 召し上がる (to eat / to drink) are all 尊敬語 (respectful language), which elevates the other person's actions. The basic rule is to use them with the other person as the subject: 部長がいらっしゃいます is correct, while using them for your own action, as in 私がいらっしゃいます, is wrong. The patterns お〜になる and 〜れる・られる are also worth remembering as forms of 尊敬語.

参る, 申す, いたす and おる are 謙譲語Ⅱ (courteous language). They humble your own action while speaking politely to the person you are addressing. Unlike 謙譲語Ⅰ, they can be used even when there is no particular person your action is directed toward, as in 明日から大阪へ参ります. The contrast between 先方に伺います (謙譲語Ⅰ, elevating the destination party) and 大阪へ参ります (謙譲語Ⅱ) is the classic example in the Guidelines.

Words like お茶, お菓子, ご飯 and お料理 are 美化語 (beautifying language): they are not used to elevate the other person but to make your own wording graceful. They are distinguished from 丁寧語 (polite language), which addresses the listener politely with です・ます. Overusing 美化語 (おビール, おコーヒー and the like) can sound unnatural. The five categories come from the Guidelines for Keigo and are a finer division of the older three categories (respectful, humble, polite).

よろしかったでしょうか uses a past form for something you are confirming in the present, and is a classic example of so-called バイト敬語 (part-timer keigo). Dropping the past-tense た to give よろしいでしょうか is the appropriate form. Likewise こちらでよろしかったですか becomes こちらでよろしいですか. The Agency for Cultural Affairs' Guidelines for Keigo also list it as an excessive or inappropriate expression, so check that it has not become a verbal habit in interviews and on the phone.

〜になります expresses change, and your change does not turn into something else, so お釣りでございます is the right phrasing. 〜のほう indicates a direction or a comparison, and adding it just to soften a statement is unnecessary. お名前をいただく should properly be お名前を伺ってもよろしいでしょうか. Part-timer keigo slips out unconsciously and sticks in an interviewer's ear, so it is worth drilling the corrected forms until they come naturally.

おっしゃる is already the respectful form of 言う, so adding the respectful 〜れる to make おっしゃられる is double keigo. お読みになられる, ご覧になられる and お召し上がりになられる are the same. That said, the Guidelines for Keigo accept double forms that have become established by custom, such as お召し上がりになる and お伺いする. Excessive keigo actually sounds unnatural: as a rule, one keigo marker per word.

Toward people outside your company, even your own superior is treated as an insider, so no honorific title or respectful language is used. Say 部長の田中 or simply 田中 without any title, and describe the action with the courteous おります. いらっしゃる, 外出される and お出かけになる are respectful forms and are inappropriate for insiders. This ウチとソト (inside/outside) distinction is the single easiest thing to get wrong on the phone and with visitors, and it always comes up in new-employee training.

Answering within three rings is the usual guideline. If you keep the caller waiting longer, add お待たせいたしました, and for a long wait 大変お待たせいたしました. When you pick up, give your company name, as in はい、◯◯株式会社でございます; using もしもし is not business practice. Keeping a pen and memo pad by the phone lets you handle calls calmly.

When the caller does not identify themselves, add a cushion phrase such as 失礼ですが or 恐れ入りますが and politely confirm their company and name. 誰ですか is rude, and putting the call through in silence leaves the person receiving it stranded. If you could not catch the name, it is perfectly fine to check with 恐れ入ります、もう一度お名前をお伺いできますか. Repeating the caller's name back before putting them on hold prevents mishearing.

When the person is out, give the expected return time, for example あいにく◯◯は外出しており、15時ごろ戻る予定です。戻りましたらこちらからお電話いたしましょうか, and let the caller choose between a call back, a message, or calling again. Do not share unnecessary details such as a private destination. Write the message down with the date and time, the caller, the business and your own name, and be sure to hand it to the person concerned. Passing on a colleague's mobile number without permission is unacceptable for information management.

Because the caller is the one with business to raise, as a rule the caller hangs up first. However, when the other party is a customer or a senior, wait until you have confirmed they have hung up, then quietly replace the receiver. Do not slam it down; on a landline, pressing the hook with a finger before setting the handset down keeps it quiet. Say 失礼いたします before ending the call, and organize any messages or commitments into notes immediately afterwards.

In a reception room the seat farthest from the door is the seat of honor, and this is the one to offer a visitor. Gesture with your hand and say 奥の席へどうぞおかけください, then either sit on the door side (the lower seat) yourself or step out until the person in charge arrives. When there is a sofa and a single armchair, the sofa side is usually treated as the higher seat. While guiding, walk diagonally ahead of the visitor and open the door to let them through first (with an inward-opening door, go in first and hold it).

Serve the most senior person on the visitor's side (the one in the seat of honor) first, then the rest of the visiting party, and finally your own side, starting with the most senior. Place the cup from the person's right with a word such as どうぞ, holding the saucer and handling it with both hands. Never place it on top of documents. The same applies to bottled drinks: the visitors come first. This principle of guests first, your own company second, runs through many situations, including card exchanges and getting on and off elevators.

Inside an elevator, the spot in front of the control panel is the lower position (where the guide stands) and the back is the seat of honor. The guide steps in first with a word such as お先に失礼します and holds the open button while inviting the visitor in. When getting off, keep the open button pressed and let the visitor out first. That said, if the visitor moves to board first, or people are already inside, adapt flexibly to the situation. Know the principle, but put not keeping the other person waiting first.

A subject line should be specific enough that the topic is clear at a glance. Putting a tag such as 【ご相談】 or 【ご確認】 at the front, and adding your company name and your own name where useful, helps the recipient organize their inbox. A subject that is only a greeting, or no subject at all, risks being mistaken for spam and cannot be searched for later. Keep Re: as a record of the reply chain, and start a fresh subject line when the topic changes.

Write the address line in the order company name, department, personal name, then 様. 御中 is an honorific for an organization such as a company or a department, and is not combined with a personal name. Stacking 様 and 殿 is likewise wrong. Write the company name in full rather than abbreviating it to （株）. If you do not know the individual, write 株式会社◯◯ 営業部 御中, and for multiple recipients use 関係者各位. Mistakes in the address line badly damage first impressions, so always check before sending.

TO is the main addressee, and CC is for people you are sharing the message with for reference; their addresses are visible to all other recipients. Addresses entered in BCC are not shown to other recipients, which makes BCC suitable for sending to many people who do not know one another. Putting customers who have no connection to each other in CC exposes their addresses to everyone and leaks personal information, so take care. When you put your superior in CC, it is considerate to note （CC：◯◯部長） at the top of the message.

取り急ぎ〜まで carries the nuance of a hurried, abbreviated note and can be taken as rude by a senior or an outside contact. If you do use it, complete the sentence, as in まずはご報告申し上げます or 取り急ぎご報告申し上げます. Similarly, ご苦労さまです is used toward juniors; for a senior use お疲れさまです. 了解しました is also best replaced with 承知いたしました or かしこまりました for outside contacts and seniors.

In a reply, the rule is to leave Re: and keep the subject unchanged. This lets the other person follow the exchange as a single thread and makes searching easier. When the topic changes completely, however, switch to a new subject. Leaving (quoting) the other person's text makes the background clear, though if it grows too long, keep only the necessary parts. Reply within 24 hours as a guideline; if you cannot answer immediately, send a first response such as 確認して◯日までにご連絡します.

各位 is itself an honorific meaning 'everyone', so stacking it as 各位様 or 各位殿 is wrong. Use it as in 関係者各位, お取引先各位 or 社員各位. Likewise avoid doubling 様 and 殿, or combining 御中 with 様. Note that 殿 is originally an honorific used downward, from a senior to a junior, so 様 is the safer choice for outside contacts. Honorifics in the address line are a small point, but as a basic of business documents they often appear in written tests during job hunting.

A document that opens with 拝啓 closes with 敬具. 前略 is an opening word that omits the preamble and pairs with the closing 草々, while the more formal 謹啓 takes 謹白 or 敬白. かしこ is a closing used mainly in letters written by women. 以上 marks the end of an internal document or a bulleted list and is not a closing word. Business letters follow the pattern opening word, seasonal greeting, main text, closing text, closing word; in email, opening and closing words are usually omitted.

In formal settings such as interviews, three knocks are generally considered good manners. Two knocks are said to be the knock for checking whether a toilet is free, so they are best avoided. After knocking, wait to be told どうぞ, then say 失礼いたします as you enter, and close the door quietly, angling your body so that you do not turn your back on the other person. That said, nobody fails an interview over the number of knocks; a calm manner and a bright greeting matter far more.

After entering, stand beside the chair (generally on the lower-seat side), give your name and bow with something like ◯◯大学の◯◯と申します。本日はよろしくお願いいたします, and sit with 失礼いたします only after being prompted with どうぞおかけください. Sit slightly forward without leaning on the backrest, and keep your back straight. Put your bag on the floor beside the chair and fold your coat on top of it. On the way out, do not forget 本日はありがとうございました.

The most valued aspect of grooming is looking clean and tidy: no creases or stains on your suit and shirt, tidy hair, short nails, polished shoes and no strong smell. Think of style (for yourself) and grooming (for the other person) as different things. When the instructions say clothing is free or casual is fine, office casual is the safe choice; research the company's atmosphere and judge accordingly. When in doubt, lean formal.

Use 御社 (onsha) in speech and 貴社 (kisha) in writing (entry sheets, emails, résumés). Spoken aloud, 貴社 sounds the same as 記者 and 汽車 and is hard to catch, which is why the spoken and written forms differ. 弊社 is the humble word for your own company and is never used for the other party. The word changes with the type of organization: 御行・貴行 for a bank, 御校・貴校 for a school corporation, 御庁・貴庁 for a public office.

Check in 5 to 10 minutes before the start. Arriving too early can be a nuisance because the host is not ready, while arriving late is out of the question. Get near the venue with time to spare, tidy your appearance nearby, and time your check-in. If you are unavoidably delayed, phone as soon as you know and give your expected arrival time. For an online interview, join 2 to 3 minutes before the start and check your connection and audio in advance.

Your own questions are a chance to show how much you want the job and how well you understand it. Asking something printed on the company website reads as poor preparation, so aim one step deeper: for example, how a particular initiative you have read about is actually carried out on the ground. Asking only about conditions tends to leave a poor impression. If your prepared question has already been covered, it is fine to say 先ほどのご説明で解消しました。ありがとうございます.

As a rule the visiting side, that is the junior side (generally the seller or the party making the request), offers their card first. When you visit with your superior, your superior exchanges first and you follow. If the other person offers at the same moment, it becomes a simultaneous exchange: hand over your card with your right hand while receiving theirs with your left, then immediately take theirs in both hands. Take your card from your card case and present it at chest height, turned so the other person can read it.

Keep the card you received on the table during the meeting. With one person, place it on top of your card case; with several, lay them out in seating order so you can match names to faces. Writing on a card in front of its owner, folding it, fiddling with it or placing objects on top of it is rude. Put it away when the meeting ends, timed to when the other person puts yours away, adding 頂戴いたします as you slip it into your card case.

Receive a card with both hands and add 頂戴いたします. Hold it by the edges so that your fingers do not cover the name or company name, and if you cannot read it, it is fine to check on the spot with 恐れ入ります、何とお読みすればよろしいでしょうか. Treat the card as an extension of the person: do not lower it below chest height and do not handle it with dirty hands. Always keep enough of your own cards in your case so that you never run out.

The basis of seating order is that the seat farthest from the door is the higher seat and the seat nearest the door the lower one. Offer the higher seat to seniors and customers. In a meeting room with many seats, the middle of the row farthest from the door ranks highest, and rank falls as you approach the door. Note that an alcove, a window with a good view or the position of a painting can shift the seat of honor; when in doubt, asking どちらにお座りになりますか is also a valid response.

In a taxi or a chauffeured car, the seat directly behind the driver ranks highest, followed by the seat behind the front passenger seat, then the middle of the back seat, with the front passenger seat lowest (its occupant pays the fare and gives directions). By contrast, when your superior or an acquaintance is driving their own car, the front passenger seat becomes the seat of honor, so the order changes. In practice, prioritize ease of getting in and out and the other person's preference rather than clinging to the rule.

In a reception room a sofa ranks above a single armchair, and it is usual to offer visitors the sofa on the side farthest from the door, with your own side using the armchairs. Layouts differ with the position of the door and the shape of the room, however, so what matters most is the seat where the visitor will be comfortable. In a Japanese-style room, the space in front of the alcove is the seat of honor. If you are the one being shown in and are unsure, simply take the seat you are offered.

報連相 is formed from the first characters of 報告 (reporting), 連絡 (informing) and 相談 (consulting). 報告 means telling your superior the progress and results of work you were assigned, 連絡 means informing the people concerned of facts and schedules, and 相談 means asking for advice when you are unsure how to judge something. As a newcomer, sharing frequently rather than deciding on your own that something is too small to mention builds trust. In recent years おひたし (do not get angry, do not deny, help, give direction) is also discussed as the way superiors should receive it.

In a report, give the conclusion or result first, then the reasons and background, and if necessary the next steps. Your listener is often busy, so an opening that delivers the point immediately, such as 結論から言うと or ◯◯の件、無事完了しました, is appreciated. The pattern is also known as the PREP method (Point, Reason, Example, Point). Keep facts separate from your own opinions and guesses, and remember the iron rule: the worse the news, the faster and more accurately it must be reported.

As soon as you know you will be late, phone your superior in person as early as possible and give the reason and your expected arrival time. Email or chat alone may go unread, and going through a colleague is unreliable. A delay certificate can be submitted if required, but it is no substitute for making contact. After you arrive, apologize again with a word such as ご迷惑をおかけしました. Being late without notice, or reporting after the fact, seriously damages trust.

The iron rule is that the worse the news, the sooner it goes to your superior. The more time passes, the wider the damage spreads and the fewer options remain. In the report, give the facts accurately, what happened, when and how serious, before any excuses, and add your own proposed response if you have one. Superiors take the concealment far more seriously than the mistake itself. Most problems can be recovered when the organization responds together, so not carrying it alone also protects you.

Paid annual leave is a worker's right under Japan's Labor Standards Act: 10 days are granted after 6 months of continuous employment with attendance on at least 80% of working days. Since 2019, companies have been obliged to ensure that anyone granted 10 days or more actually takes 5 days a year. You are not obliged to state your reason, but applying early and handing over your work so that operations are not disrupted is good manners. The company holds a right to shift the timing during busy periods.

Cushion phrases such as 恐れ入りますが, お手数をおかけしますが, 差し支えなければ, あいにくですが and せっかくですが are openers that soften requests, refusals and objections. 悪いんですけど is casual spoken language and is inappropriate in business, especially toward outside contacts and seniors. When refusing, adding an alternative, as in あいにく◯◯のため難しいのですが、△△であれば対応できます, avoids friction. Showing consideration for the other person through your words is a basic of working life.