MANNERS are a hot topic. They have become the somewhat unlikely subject of a new survey, a new book and even a new government focus. From a career perspective, just how important is to know and to follow the latest thinking on minding your P’s and Q’s? “Familiarity with manners gives you the confidence to handle even demanding situations with confidence,” says David Robinson in the classic guide, Business Etiquette. “Not knowing and not observing a code of conduct doesn’t condemn you to failure; it just makes being successful more difficult.”

But these days, comporting oneself properly in the office can be far from easy. “It has become more complex,” says Dr Robert Yeung, a business psychologist and a director of Talent Space, a management consultancy. “There used to be a consensus, but that has been challenged as our society has changed.”

Where there was once black and white, there are now greys. But, as ever, information is the key. It is widely agreed that, in essence, manners are a way of regulating relationships between people, in this case, professionals. They ensure that managers and colleagues get along, even if they don’t like each other.

To understand the subtleties of what etiquette involves, I consulted Joscelin Waters, the director of Tate Recruitment, and looked at recent research from Lloyds TSB and a new book, The Done Thing, by Simon Fanshawe (£9.99, Century). Here are some of their tips:

How important are manners?
E-mail creme@thetimes.co.uk

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