有选择地接电话是可以的,有时甚至是必要的。但是如何做则有正误之分。首先训练你的秘书要有礼貌。最好问"我能问是哪位打来的吗?"，而不是"谁呀?",更不是"谁在打电话?"。第二,不要教你的秘书在你在的时候说不在。说工作太忙无暇通话是可以接受的--以诚相待永远是上策。打电话的人能听出不同,况且,如果你总不在也不太好。

　　It's rude not to return telephone calls regardless of whom they are from. You might be ignoring a potential customer. Many people today don't bother to return phone calls, and if you work for someone else,it's highly unlikely that such behavior is acceptable. When you do return calls, try to place them yourself. If you must have your secretary make the call, then get on the line immediately. It's not polite to keep someone waiting when you've placed the call.

　　不回电话是无礼的--不管电话来自何人。你或许会错过一个可能成为客户的人。当今许多人不屑回电话,但如果你身为别人的雇员,如此行为恐怕难以接受。当你能够回电话时,尽量自己做。如果你必须先让你的秘书代劳,那么应尽快接过电话。如果电话是你打的,让对方久等是不礼貌的。

　　Handling Mail

　　处理信件

　　Good manners also dictate that you handle your mail promptly and courteously. Unless mail is obviously mass-produced, it should be deemed worthy of a reply. Most bosses don't like discovering that their employees are unresponsive to business calls and letters.

　　得体的行为举止也体现在你能及时有礼貌地处理信件。除非是那些大量散发的邮件,每一邮件都值得予以回复。许多老板不愿看到他们的雇员对商务电话和信函迟迟不予答复。

　　Faxes and E-Mail

　　传真和电子邮件

　　The arrival of fax machines and desktop computers in most offices has also given rise to a new etiquette regarding their use. Never assume that either a fax or e-mail is private. And with that in mind, never send any communication via either method that you wouldn't like to have your boss, or even your entire office, read. Most fax machines are located in public places, so anyone who passes by can read them, and some businesses routinely screen their employees' e-mail. (That's not necessarily polite, but it's easier to keep e-mail impersonal than to tell the boss she can't read it.)