workaday Wednesday

Workplace interactions are so much easier in the morning. “Good morning” is such a perfect catch-all phrase. It can even be shortened to just “Morning.” It can be combined with a nod/smile/wave, or stand alone. And it can be used pretty much regardless of who you happen to run into. (See the CEO? “Morning.” See a complete stranger? “Morning.” See a complete stranger you suspect might be the CEO? “Morning.”)

Even better, it’s generally allowed to be an entire social exchange all on its own. It’s perfect for those times when people want to acknowledge each other, but have no real interest in communicating. You walk by someone in the hallway. You say “good morning.” They say “good morning” back. Done. Social niceties observed; everyone moves on with their day.

Afternoons are much harder. “Good afternoon” just hasn’t caught on as a phrase for casual use in the same way that “good morning” has. There doesn’t seem to be a non-morning equivalent quite as fantastic as “good morning.” I usually go with “hey,” which is a little too much like I’m trying to get someone’s attention, and often leads to the dreaded reply of “hey, how’s it going.” (Clearly a problem — since we have both now spoken once, the exchange should be over; instead it is dragged out into “good, you?” and “good, thanks,” which neither of us really cared about.)

Clearly, this is a concern that calls out for a corporate clickbait article. I’ll call it ‘Why your company’s culture of vaguely uninterested politeness is destroying your post-lunch productivity.”

Mirrored from The Marci Rating System.