Etiquette Isn’t Everything, No Matter What Emily Post Says

Good manners matter to me. I always smile at my co-workers when we pass each other in the hallway; I look at my cell phone during a meeting only if I’m expecting an urgent message; and I listen to music with headphones, set to a low volume so as not to disturb my seatmates in our open-plan office. I thought I was doing fine.

Then I read the 19th edition of Emily Post’s Etiquette (William Morrow, $45) and realized my many, many failings. For instance, when I get someone’s business card, I almost always throw it in my purse. Apparently, I should be putting it in the business card holder I don’t have and treating it “as an extension of the person” who gave it to me. I’ve also never sent a handwritten thank-you note to any of my parents’ friends who’ve treated me to lunch, and I don’t generally proofread casual emails I send to co-workers.