Skills / Job Search & Entry-Level Careers

Professional Habits and Workplace Behaviour

By the end, you can describe and demonstrate professional behaviour in common workplace situations, including dress, phone use, confidentiality, teamwork and handling a disagreement.

Job-ready skillAbout 15 hours3 stagesFree

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Professional habits are how you behave at work: how you dress, speak to colleagues and customers, use your phone, keep confidential information private and handle conflict. Good habits build trust quickly, which leads to permanent posts and promotion.

Turn on JavaScript to track your progress. The lessons are:FoundationsLearn the basic rules of workplace behaviour: dress codes, greeting people, personal phone use and respect for others.Task: Pick three workplaces you would like to work in (for example a bank, a supermarket and an office). For each, write what you think the dress code is, the rules for personal phone use, and how you would greet a customer or manager.Core skillsPractise teamwork, confidentiality, time management and handling feedback or conflict professionally.Task: Write short answers (3–5 sentences each) to these situations: a colleague takes credit for your work; a customer shares private details with you; your manager criticises your work in front of others; you finish your tasks early. Explain what a professional would do and why.Applied practiceApply professional habits in a real setting and reflect on what worked.Task: During a volunteer shift, part-time job or group project, choose two habits to practise (for example no personal phone use while working, and confirming instructions in writing). Afterwards, write half a page on what you did, how people responded and what you will keep doing.

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What competent looks like

Dresses appropriately for the workplace without being told
Keeps personal phone use to breaks
Keeps customer and company information confidential
Handles a disagreement calmly and privately
Checks in with a supervisor when unsure instead of guessing

The South African route

No regulator covers workplace behaviour. Most South African employers judge it during probation (often three to six months) and through references, so build a record of good references from volunteer work, learnerships or part-time jobs.

Free resources

Workplace and life skills tutorials
GCFGlobal (LearnFree)
Free online courses
Alison

These links go to free courses and sites run by other organisations. We chose them in October 2026 but do not run them, so check costs, dates and entry requirements on their site. Broken link? Tell us.

Jobs it can lead to

Receptionist
Retail sales assistant
Admin assistant
Call centre agent
Hospitality staff member