FOR THE BUSINESS GIRL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19800, 18 November 1919, Page 9

FOR THE BUSINESS GIRL.

1 abuse of privileges. •Any .girl who is in the real souse of the word a “business girl” does not need to have her attention called to the fact that an office is not a place to carry on hoc social activities, and should under no circumstances bo. used for her friends and relatives to congregate. A number of criticisms have como to me lately about this abuse by women in offices and shops, hut the offenders are invariably girls who have not been long in the business world, and \who haw had no training for commercial work. Generally speaking, employers are inclined to be indulgent in the matter of allowing certain privileges to I heir office Imlp, snob as receiving visitors occasionally, the use of tbo telephone for personal service, time off for shopping, etc. The experienced and earnest business girl appreciates these privileges and takes advantage of them occasionally, hut never abuses them. Unfortunately, she is often made to forgo them because some inexperienced girl not endowed with great sense is responsible for haring these privileges taken away from an entire office force. In a let ter which 1 received the other day, one office girl complains bitterly about a fellow worker who by her unethical conduct caused the officials of the firm to clamp on th ( > office some hard and fast mica limiting the. privileges of the force. The offender in this particular case held her position in spite of her unbusinesslike behaviour simply because she was the daughter of a. friend of one of the members of the tirm. Her laxness in regard to the office rules and regulations and her abuse of the privileges during the first few months of her business career were dearly paid for by herself and all her associates by having every office privilege summarily cutoff. She hud como to the office with no previous training for a biisinesa career and. no experience, and, as her existence had therefore, consisted of matinees, tea parties, dinners and dances, she had no conception of the etiquette of a business house, and, not being particularly bright, lacked the instinct that should have guided her to a. proper behaviour. One wire in the office was kept busy either receiving the calls of her friends or transmitting her calls to them, and her conversations consisted of nothing more important than a criticism of her friends and their clothes that was anything but. edifying or a. recital of the attentions showered upon her by many admirers. In between telephone calls she either regaled the office in genera! with hr activities of the previous evening or entertained one or more visitors. Her associates were somewhat amused at her telephone conversations, and did’not mind hearing her gossip about her friends, but when she began to hold daily receptions for her friends in the office, and when those friends took upon themselves with her connivance the liberty of using the telephones, typewriters and stationery of the office, they trembled for their own few privileges. The slate, of affairs was brought to the attention of one of the officials of Ihe firm, and, while, she was allowed to remain in the office, due in the influence of her parent, a. set of rules wa-si pint into effect, prohibiting any member of the office force, from receiving visitors or of using the telephone f'or any personal reason, etc. .Needless to sav. the most unpopular person in the office is the girl responsible for the change. A girl of the above, typo will ncvV>r make- a success of a business career, unless some good influence is able to produce a radical change of manners. (By Mary King, in the “ San Francisco Chronicle.. ,T )