Dos and don’ts when using your business phone headset in a call

Gone are the days when office workers walked around cradling phone handsets between their heads and shoulders with funny-looking neck angles. Nowadays, phone systems have the ability to connect to both wired and wireless headsets, thus bringing flexibility and convenience and creating opportunities to change the workplace environment.

With this now in play, basic headset etiquette becomes even more important. Here are some important guidelines to share around your office—especially if you have any serial offenders (and, let’s be honest, we all do)!

Read these now and thank us later!

Before the call even begins, ensure that the phone/headset from which you are calling works and provides quality sound. The easiest method to ensure great sound is to use a quality headset with the right connections that have been given the tick of approval by your IT department.

Noise is always a concern in an open-plan workplace. A loud voice can quickly become a distraction for dozens of co-workers. There are plenty of people who project voices that would be better off on the radio. Try to be self-aware and occasionally monitor your own volume. If people can hear you on the other side of the room, it’s probably time to adjust. And, if you just have to vent and speak your mind at full volume, go somewhere isolated like a conference room. Some businesses with open-plan workspaces even have designated rooms for taking phone calls. If your work has them, take advantage of these areas.

Side conversations while on the line are another thing to avoid. If you’re not on mute, your conversation is going to distract other people on the call. And even if you are on mute, you could miss what’s being discussed on the call. If you don’t need to hear what’s going on, you probably don’t need to be on the call in the first place. Try to save the conversation for another time. If you absolutely must speak with someone during a call, use a silent method like a business chat tool.

Headsets are pointed directly at your mouth on purpose. That’s where your voice comes from. But that also means that headsets are great at picking up any other noise coming from that area, including those involved in eating and drinking. It doesn’t matter how quiet you think you are; if you’re eating or drinking while you’re on your phone headset, people are going to hear you. So save the snacks for before or after your call.

It should go without saying, but we hear about this happening often enough that we feel compelled to mention it. Don’t take your headset to the bathroom—for any reason. It’s discourteous. It’s unsanitary. And it’s just plain gross. It’s just as awkward for other people in the bathroom with you as it is for anyone on the other side of the line. If you need to excuse yourself from a call, excuse yourself. But a bathroom is no place for a phone headset.

Everyone’s been on a conference call with paper scrunches, loud typing, background noise and any number of other bizarre and distracting sounds. If you’re not on a simple one-on-one call when you’re using your headset, be sure to set your phone to mute when you’re not contributing to the conversation. If you’re doing more listening than speaking, there’s no reason for you not to keep mute on for most of the call. It’ll help you avoid side-tracking the conference call and distracting your co-workers.

Keep these headset etiquette tips in mind for the benefit of you, your team members, and anybody else you’re communicating with.