With a new school year beginning in a couple of weeks, some businesses (Debrett's included) are also looking to start bringing staff back to the workplace.

But how can we adapt to the new office etiquette, at a time when social norms are ever-changing? As with all significant lifestyle changes, tact and a soft touch are crucial as we readapt to our pre-Covid habits of daily commutes, face-to-face meetings and workplace admin. With this in mind, here are some etiquette pointers to consider as we are reintroduced to office life:

Be sensitive:

While there will be many who can’t wait to leave their kitchen table and get their feet back under their old desks, there will also be some who haven’t left their children for 5 months, and others feeling more generally apprehensive. If you are a manager, try to be understanding and flexible; perhaps offer staggered work hours so that people can avoid busy transport times, or the option to work from home if necessary. Keep a keen eye out for social cues and silent signals, and set aside time to speak with team members individually to ensure that they are as comfortable as possible.

Keep your distance:

Although you're back at work, it’s far from business as usual. Social distancing guidelines remain in place, and not everyone will be ready to shake hands or share your pen. If you’re greeting someone, stick with an elbow tap or fist pump, and allow others plenty of space – don't loom over a colleague at their computer, or reach across your neighbour for a stapler. And if you’re in a scenario that makes you feel uncomfortable (someone rushing in to share your lift, for example), it's perfectly acceptable to say so.

Keep the Corona chat in check:

Pandemic-based humour, anecdotes and stories tend only to bring the topic to the forefront of everyone’s minds, and may cause additional anxiety. A quick debrief of the past couple of months (think post-Christmas) is fine, but there’s no need for it to form the basis of every conversation. Similarly, pointedly turning at the sound of a cough or sneeze, or shouting ‘corona!’ when someone clears their throat, isn’t funny or helpful.

Focus on the task in hand

For the first time since March you will be able to work with zero (non-work) distractions, so use this time to get ahead and stuck into tasks or projects that had perhaps been neglected. It won’t go unnoticed, and feeling productive will boost your morale and help to reduce any nervousness around returning to an office environment.

Maintain your work-life balance:

A recent survey conducted by Bloomberg Business found that the pandemic workday is on average 48 minutes longer than the regular workday. Whether individuals have been logging on earlier as they’re saving commuting time, or replying to emails while waiting for their toddler to go down, it is clear than in the absence of an office, official working start and finish times have been blurred. Now you’re back, use your office hours to work, and then (assuming your industry and workload allows), clock off properly when you leave and make the most of your free time.

Are you returning to your workplace next month? How are you feeling about it? Let us know in the comments below.

The past five months have presented plenty of relationship challenges: during lockdown, there was a reported 40% rise in divorce enquiries at one UK law firm, while homeschooling, confinement, and limited social interaction placed serious strain on families around the world.

But now that measures are easing, we can all go back to getting along, right? Well, not quite. As we rapidly try to adopt new behaviours, and with social guidelines changing all the time, there’s still plenty to disagree about – from hugs to holidays, via masks and the 2-metre rule.

But whether you’re in the ‘play it safe’ party or the ‘business as usual’ brigade, you can keep your relationships in tact by exercising a little bit of empathy and understanding. Here are our five tips for avoiding an argument right now:

1.) Suspend judgment

Having brunch in a busy town centre doesn’t make someone a reckless idiot; nor does overzealous use of hand sanitiser mean they’re neurotic and paranoid. There can be a superficial pleasure in deeming ourselves more virtuous than others, but we’re all having to make decisions based on limited (and ever-changing) information, so try to cut others some slack.

2.) Communicate well

However awkward you might feel, it’s important to share personal concerns in a neutral and unemotional manner, rather than letting issues fester and build. If you’re worried about your elderly father refusing to wear a mask in shops, gently and straightforwardly explain why, instead of trying to patronise or nanny him – or worse, complaining to your mum. And remember, good communication means listening to the other person as well as talking. 

3.) Support; don’t lecture

You’re keen to set up a dinner date, but a friend declines – she doesn’t feel comfortable taking public transport yet. Trying to convince her that it’s perfectly safe, and that trains are virtually empty right now, will only add to her anxiety. A simple ‘Completely understand – let’s try again soon’ will be more productive. When it comes to our health, we all have the right to determine our own limits, and should support others in identifying those limits too.

4.) Take it offline

Disagreements can easily escalate in online environments, when we lose the subtleties and shades of in-person conversation. Empathy can also quickly vanish when you’re separated by a screen, so if you find yourself drawn into a back-and-forth over Facebook or WhatsApp, take a moment to pick up the phone to the other person – or suggest a socially-distanced coffee instead. You’re less likely to risk hurting each other’s feelings if you speak face-to-face, rather than exchanging furious statements online.

5.) Remember we’re all a bit more tense than usual

Whether it’s fractious children, vulnerable relatives or financial insecurity, there’s a lot to feel tense about right now. Ask yourself whether you’re annoyed with your spouse because he or she is actually in the wrong, or because of your own feelings of frustration and fear. If it’s the latter, take an hour or two to reflect and calm down. Similarly, give others extra leeway if they seem more prickly or sensitive than usual – it’s not you; it’s COVID.

Shalini Khemka is the founder and CEO of E2Exchange (E2E), which champions and connects entrepreneurs, creates communities, invests equity capital and recruits non-executive directors for SMEs. Shalini’s background is in financial services, with a specialism in banking. 

Shalini is currently heading up the Employee Retention Scheme sub-committee of the Business Action Council – a collective of organisations that support businesses across the UK. We spoke to Shalini to find out how the COVID-19 crisis has affected small businesses in the UK, and about her involvement in the chancellor's response.

1.) How has your work routine changed since you’ve been working from home?

I find I’m making more time for exercise, whereas normally in the flow of business I’m moving around, walking from meeting to meeting, taking the Tube or travelling. When you’re at home you’re not doing any of that, so I make a point of getting out at least once a day to get some fresh air and do some exercise.

I also have more time to think prior to meetings because I’m not travelling as much, so I can use that time more constructively to think and to prepare.

From a health and wellbeing perspective as well, I’m able to prep healthy food and I’m being more consistent in timings when it comes to meals and exercise.

2.) What, for you, have been the biggest challenges of working from home?

I very much miss meeting people in person. While doing Zoom calls is great, it’s not quite the same as going for a coffee or lunch with someone, and I find that lack of social integration quite challenging. I think developing relationships with people will also take a little bit longer.

Luckily with my business we’re well set up to work from home, but for younger people in smaller accommodation working from their own bedrooms, that’s quite tough.

3.) How has your team had to adapt to the current situation?

They’ve had to make sure that they have a mindset around routine. Personal discipline has become more difficult, because when you’re getting up at a particular time to take public transport into the office, the routine is there for you, but when you’re working from home there’s not the same structure, so having those practices of getting up, getting dressed and starting your day, I think some of them have found that quite hard.

Some of my team are also sharing living space, so being able to focus and concentrate has not always been easy. Having said that, they have stayed motivated, and we’ve done a lot of team socials which has helped – on a Friday evening we’ll have a drink together. We’ve done more social activity on a regular basis than we would have done historically, albeit digitally, because it has had to be built into the diary rather than done in an impromptu way.

4.) What changes has your organisation undergone?

E2E has historically run up to 50 events per year in 11 cities, and that’s partly how we’ve acquired our 23,000 members. When lockdown happened, all the events we had in the diary obviously got cancelled or postponed, so we’ve had to really pivot the business into a virtual events company. We now run E2E live, which offers webinars with inspirational speakers, and Business Unusual, which is a video series profiling our members talking about how they’ve coped with the challenges. We are also running small group forums where our members will talk very openly about how they’re feeling and what’s happening in their business, and we’ll take a challenge and brainstorm the challenge.

We’ve also spent a lot more time on our digital offering. We raised investment before lockdown to build a community portal called E2E Connect. We were planning to launch it next year but have fast-tracked it for a soft launch in September. It’s like Match.com for business, connecting founders to founders to mentors, corporates and to investors.

A lot more of our time has also gone into supporting our community with their issues, too, particularly with access to funding and providing them with connectivity. We get a few hundred emails a day from people asking for help. The volume of work has shot up as more SMEs are needing support.

We get a few hundred emails a day from people asking for help. The volume of work has shot up as more SMEs are needing support

We’ve had to significantly cut our costs by changing the team structure. Some people we let go; some people left; some people we furloughed. It’s been a challenging time in that respect because you learn how different people on your team cope with a challenge like this – who is there for the long run and who’s there for the short run. The upside of all that has been that the people you retain will be with you for the long term.

I’ve also been heavily involved in the Business Action Council, which has been set up to bring together organisations supporting business from across the UK. Its members include E2E, the Federation of Small Businesses, the CBI, the Entrepreneurs’ Organisation and 26 others. So rather than competing we’ve become a collective. I’m heading up the Employee Retention Scheme sub-committee, which reports into BEIS. We put forward our policy recommendations, two of which have led to government change – the flexi-furlough, to make it easier for small businesses to bring people back – and the other one asking for 100% guarantee on loans, so we had a big part to play in the bounce-back loan and the introduction of the flexi-furlough.

5.) What advice can you share for managing and leading a team during a crisis?

Firstly I think you have to stay mentally positive. It’s important to train yourself to think glass-half-full. You have to understand how your team is feeling, what are their drivers, and spend time with them.

You have to stay mentally positive. It's important to train yourself to think glass-half-full

From a financial perspective, it’s important to consider cash flow and to make sure your business can survive without knowing how long Covid-19 will impact the economy. Once you’ve sorted those things out, you can pivot the business strategy to service your clients in a different environment.

6.) How do you think small business will change as a result of this situation?

Not every company is going through a difficult time, especially if they were already very tech-enabled – some of our members have actually done better in this scenario. For those that are going through difficulties, I envisage that it’s a 6-to-12 month time lag in terms of their financial performance, so they’ve got to think about how they can keep the business going over the long term. Over 9 million people are currently on furlough, so once that scheme stops, there may be quite a lot of redundancies.

Companies can look at things like short-time working – so perhaps retaining an employee on shorter hours rather than making them redundant. As part of the job retention scheme we’re going to try and recommend that the chancellor extend financial support to SMEs to avoid redundancies beyond October. For small businesses it’s not the case that everything will just go back to normal so it’s important to think now not only about cost saving but also keeping your staff employed and skilled.

For small businesses it’s not the case that everything will just go back to normal so it’s important to think now not only about cost saving but also keeping your staff employed and skilled.

Another solution may be swapping people between companies – so you find a partner which might have space for an employee one or two days a week, like a job share. I think there’s also a need for companies to look at digital skills training. I would advise small businesses to be prudent and assess how you can retain your employees by looking at different ways of working, keeping employees motivated, and ensuring there’s a degree of social interaction, which is really important from a mental health perspective.

As owners of businesses this is a time to be innovative, creative and collaborative, and you can only do that if you stay positive. When you start being negative in your thought processes, none of these ideas come to the fore.

7.) What is coming up for you over the next few months?

I’m excited about launching our own version of Match.com for business, which will enable entrepreneurs to search for the support they need and receive matches – they then click right or swipe left to meet the right person. I’m also very excited about our flexi-mentoring scheme, because a lot of people have written to us to let us know they have spare time and to ask if there are companies that need help.

I’m hoping that some of the recommendations we’ve made on the job retention scheme are implemented by the chancellor – he did listen the first time!

I’m also looking forward to being able to go out a bit! It’ll be nice to be able to see some of my friends and go to a restaurant and just do normal stuff again. I like active environments, so while the lockdown period has given me thinking time, I do miss that activity and the social interaction.

For those who appreciate the complex nature and subtle nuances of whisky-making, there can be few more enticing professions than working in a luxury whisky company.

Fuelled more by a desire to make sense of things than the need to follow a well-trodden path, the Lakes Distillery’s whiskymaker Dhavall Gandhi began his career as far away from casks, flavour and creation as you can imagine.

After graduating with a degree in corporate finance and economics, Dhavall joined the world of management consulting with Ernst & Young, where he could be working anywhere across the USA from Monday to Friday, travelling home on the weekend.

It was not until a client engagement in Kentucky, where he and a colleague decided to visit several whisky distilleries, that Dhavall had his epiphany moment to become a whiskymaker.

Sitting on the steps of Maker’s Mark, Dhavall realised the direction he wanted his life to take. Although financial models and whisky-making don’t have many parallels, he did possess the rare gift of being able to identify different aromas and more importantly, was comfortable with abstract concepts.

A move to Scotland followed, and the dream to become a whiskymaker began.

After graduating from Heriot-Watt University with a post-graduate degree in brewing and distilling, Dhavall worked as a brewmaster for Heineken and shortly thereafter received his Chartered Scientist status.

Soon an opportunity presented itself to join The Macallan as a whiskymaker. This was the place where he developed a firm grip on the fundamental concepts and techniques in the art of blending and gained an in-depth understanding of the Sherry casks he now uses to make The Lakes Whisky.

It wasn’t until 2016 when Dhavall was approached by The Lakes Distillery, at the time an unknown English whisky company, who were in search of a whiskymaker to define the house-style and develop a strategy which would help them to achieve their vision to create one of the world’s finest single malt whiskies.

No stranger to risk, Dhavall made the move and today has carte blanche to run the distillery’s whisky operations, practising holistic whisky-making and drawing upon influence not just from within the world of whisky, but out with it as well. No other whiskymaker does this.

Discover more about The Lakes Distillery at www.LakesDistillery.com and enter our competition for a chance to win a bottle of HOPE single malt here.

Going to the pub is a time-honoured British tradition, and of all the recent restriction easing announcements, pubs reopening has most prominently heralded a slow return to pre-Covid normality.

But new restrictions and safety measures have meant changes to the natural pub order. It was our pleasure to visit our local establishment earlier this week (purely for research purposes, naturally), in order to share our observations on the new pub etiquette.

Be polite to staff

You don't need us to tell you this, but it's more important than ever to consider those who are making your treasured pint (or glass of red) possible. In order to open, pubs have implemented a whole host of new measures so that you can enjoy a drink in safety. So if your waiter or waitress is still getting to grips with the new iPad ordering system, or just getting the hang of table service after years behind the taps, be kind (and maybe don’t order 12 different drinks at once.)

Patience is a virtue

The ease of sauntering up to the bar and watching your drink being poured has made the idea of waiting for a drink completely alien. But with table service now in effect we need to change our mindset and understand that things might not be as instantaneous as they once were. Much like if you were in a restaurant, aim to catch a member of staff's eye to place your order. Avoid waving at staff - and definitely no clicking your fingers.

Play by the rules

If there is a one-way system in place, follow it. If there maximum capacity in the loos, stick to it. Your frequency in the pub prior to lockdown doesn’t make you exempt from the rules, and we should never forget that they are there for our own safety. As we adapt, it’s totally normal for some of these rules to momentarily slip our minds as we try and enter through the Exit door and vice versa, but if you find yourself having to reminded more than once, it might be time to leave.

Read the room

Whilst the reopening of pubs might invoke hopes of the well-lubricated lock-ins and communal singalongs of the past, understand that other visitors might prefer to keep things low key with a casual glass of red and quiet conversation, not a high spirited box social. Read the room and act accordingly.

Know when it’s time to go

If it's nearing closing time or you're approaching the end of your reservation window, finish up your drinks, settle the tab, thank staff and make a move. No badgering for one more drink, or having to be asked multiple times to leave. And while it’s understandable that alcoholic tolerance may have dipped slightly during lockdown, if you find yourself a little ahead of your group in terms of inebriation, there’s no shame in taking a break or calling it a night.

Dan Scothern, Senior Business Development Manager

de-vel-op-ment /dɪˈvɛləpm(ə)nt/ (n) – the process in which someone or something grows or changes and becomes more advanced.

Over the last few months, many of us have been spending much of our increased downtime binging our way through Netflix or perfecting the stiff peaks of our meringues. But might this time be better spent in other ways?

Personal development is often overlooked by both employers and employees, but investment in yourself, or your team, is never wasted. Debrett's tutor and head of sales Olly Walker explains why now is an opportune time to develop and upskill yourself and/or your team:

1. To develop your/their current skillset

As human beings, we are constantly developing. From newborn to toddler, teenager to adult, student to professional, our life experiences impact our personality and abilities, shaping us as people. This should not be any different in the professional world. While we all develop different strengths, we are always going to have areas of weakness. Too many people take their strengths for granted and ignore or deny their weaknesses, but if we make a conscious effort to hone our strengths and work on our weaknesses, we will become more successful more quickly.

2. To uncover hidden strengths

We all have talent, although it is not always realised or obvious. Through looking inwardly, allowing yourself to learn from others and accepting different perspectives, you may find that you can do something you never thought you could previously, or that something you have been doing for your whole professional career could be done better, more efficiently or more effectively.

3. To gain a reputation for growth

People want to grow and should be encouraged to do so. As does a business. If you’re a manager who actively invests in your team’s development, you will show that yours is a great place to work and an attractive opportunity to potential new recruits. Similarly, if you’re constantly on the lookout for ways to evolve and enhance your skillset, you can rest assured that your manager has picked up on this. You can also use this to your advantage when applying for more senior roles in the future. Somebody who embraces change positively is somebody who is going places.

Somebody who embraces change positively is somebody who is going places.

4. To maintain motivation and a positive mentality

Whilst often a big factor in our professional choices, the monthly pay cheque is not the only thing most of us want to gain from our workplace. If you, or your team, do not see any personal progress, this will undoubtedly have a detrimental impact on an individual’s state of mind. Over time boredom and a sense of “treading water” will kick in. You can guard against this by shaking things up and looking for new ways to challenge yourself or your team.

5. To retain a strong workforce

Henry Ford once said, “the only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave is not training them and having them stay”. As times change, businesses need to adapt and evolve, but a business is only as strong as its workforce. If a manager allows his or her employees to coast, the business will be affected at some point. Keeping yourself and your staff challenged, motivated and happy will increase productivity and reduce staff turnover (and by extension, recruitment costs).

“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self” – Ernest Hemingway

Brigit Bloch is the Founder of Brigit’s Bakery in Chandos Place, Covent Garden and the Brigit's Bakery Afternoon Bus Tour, on which customers enjoy a traditional tea aboard an original 1960s Routemaster while touring cultural landmarks throughout London. We spoke to Brigit about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the hospitality industry, and her plans now that the bakery and bus are back up and running.

1.)    How has your work routine changed since you’ve been working from home?

Since our bakery in Covent Garden and our afternoon tea bus tours were closed, we used the ‘downtime’ to review all aspects of the business which are ordinarily harder to address whilst the business in full flow. We’ worked on everything from refurbishing our sites, to re-vamping our website together with a graphic designer, all the way through to making improvements to our customer service guidelines and other internal business structures too. As we effectively lost both Easter and Summer seasons which are vital to as a business such as ours that relies heavily on tourism, we’ve now skipped forward to planning our Christmas activity which we aim to make even bigger and better than previous years!

2.)    What, for you, have been the biggest challenges of working from home?

The biggest challenges of working from home were in maintaining a similar schedule to that which I would follow under normal circumstances. As many people within the food and beverage and hospitality industries in particular have had their time cut down, or been placed on furlough, it’s taken much longer to obtain responses from suppliers and partners, which has made it harder to achieve objectives within a schedule.

3.)    And what are some of the benefits?

‘Downtime’ is rare in an industry like ours where we are busiest when the rest of the country is on holiday. Therefore it’s been a positive to have some breathing room to concentrate on and finalise future projects. We’ve also dedicated our energies to reviewing certain aspects of the business which are harder to maintain whilst the business is in operation. I feel we’ve all realised during this time that it’s the basic things in life that matter the most. So as a business, we too worked to further enhance our offering by taking it back to our roots: to provide our customers with a unique experience with great food and great service. It also gave us the opportunity to connect on a different level with our teams across the board who are a vital part of our family, even via just a quick call to check in on them and their families at this time.

it’s been a positive to have some breathing room to concentrate on and finalise future projects.

4.)    How has your team had to adapt to the current situation?

We had to place the majority of our day-to-day staff on furlough whilst the business was effectively put on pause by the restrictions. It was a difficult decision, but we’re thankful that the government made this scheme available. Thankfully, we are now back in operation, albeit a soft restart for the initial few weeks, and so we have a proportion of our family back at work!

5.)    What changes has your business undergone?

Our bakery and afternoon tea bus businesses were completely closed for 3 months. In the meantime we, as the owners, took that time to push ahead with some exciting new plans for customers and staff to come back to. We continue to work on our first ever offering for children under the age of 5 in partnership with Peppa Pig. We’ve also seen the huge growth in the home baking market during the lockdown period, which we are now launching as a new arm to the business. Brigit’s Bake Club will be positioned as the Hello Fresh of the baking world. Subscribers will receive deliveries of all ingredients needed for specific cakes which will come complete with online tutorials and community too. People have a newfound appreciation for creating things with their hands and developing new skills. Brigit’s Bake Club is the perfect vehicle through which to achieve this.

6.)    What advice can you share for managing and leading a team during a crisis?

Transparency and communication are key. It has been and continues to be an unprecedented and worrying time for all, particularly in our sector where we are so reliant on tourism as well. Therefore, we’ve been as transparent as possible with our teams to keep them abreast of all changes as soon as we know. We’ve also realised the importance of not becoming complacent. As business owners, we need to always innovate and keep thinking outside of the box in this ever changing world in order to maintain the business and hopefully start to grow again. Finally, stay connected with your customers, staff and partners. Their loyalty is key to any business and you need to work together to build a better future. 

Stay connected with your customers, staff and partners. Their loyalty is key to any business and you need to work together to build a better future

7.)    How do you think your industry will change as a result of this situation?

There will be a dramatic change in our industry. I don’t envisage a return to ‘normality’ until at least summer 2021 and even then, there will be a new normal. I worry a vast number of businesses won’t make it through as we hear of companies going into administration on a daily basis. Fortunately we have built our business on solid foundations; quintessential British values and a unique offering, and took our time to grow organically. The UK government has done what it could to assist with grants and through its many schemes, nonetheless the high street will never be the same.

8.)    What is coming up for your business over the next few months?

We are thrilled to have reopened and welcomed customers back to the bakery and aboard our afternoon tea bus tours. We look forward to resuming our usual full schedule and also look forward to launching Brigit’s Bake Club and The Peppa Pig Afternoon Tea Bus Tours to our existing and new audience too.

Between Blur and Percy the Park Keeper, the rules for conducting oneself in a British park have been fairly well documented. With the exception of keeping dogs on leads and knowing when you can and can’t feed the ducks, there isn’t too much you can do wrong.

But between the warm summer weather and the restrictions on meeting up indoors, the public spaces that were once the preserve of low-key picnics and weekend jogs are becoming popular social hubs. Debrett’s senior business development manager Dan Scothern has shared his advice on best park practice for your next visit.

Groups:

Put very simply, stick to the government guidelines: keep groups at 6 or less, and keep your distance if members of the group live in a different household. Similarly, be sure to allow plenty of distance between your group and others when setting up camp.

Children and Dogs:

Without wishing to equate the two, small children and dogs can pose a similar challenge when it comes to social distancing, being both naturally curious and heedless of personal space. Keep a close eye on them – and dogs on leads if necessary – to ensure they don’t wander off to investigate another group’s picnic.

Music:

Some gentle audio accompaniment is fine within your own area, but beware of ramping up the volume: others might not share the same tastes as you, or want to listen to music at all. This may change as the afternoon fades into evening, but if you must elect yourself park DJ, consider your audience and keep it clean.

Ball Games:

A socially distant game of frisbee is harmless – less so using a bustling common to practise penalties ahead of next season. Just because a ball isn’t physically hitting another group, doesn’t mean it’s not affecting their afternoon or forcing them into an uncomfortable state of catlike readiness. Exercise your best judgment here, and if in doubt, play elsewhere.

Alcohol:

Whilst it’s not illegal in the UK to consume alcohol in public, drink responsibly and remember that the park is not an extension of your garden. Bear in mind that increased consumption will not only reduce your inhibitions (and spatial awareness) but also likely require a visit to the loo, with no guarantee that any will be open nearby.

Litter:

Always take it with you when you leave. There’s very little elaboration needed with this one, and no excuse for thinking that others should tidy up your mess.

Many shops in the UK have now reopened, and further lockdown easing will come into force next weekend. As our interaction with the outside world – and other people – gradually increases, many of us will choose to wear masks or face coverings in public places. Indeed, these are mandatory in certain settings, such as on public transport and in hospitals.

Covering the bottom half of our faces can present communication challenges, concealing one’s expression and muffling speech. Wearing one can also make us feel ‘closed off’ from the world, while seeing others in masks can induce a sense of wariness. 

So how can you remain friendly and approachable, even with a mask on? Here are some simple tips:

• Don’t shy away from eye contact

We’re all still getting used to the new normal, but eye contact will become even more important when we can’t gauge each others’ expressions. Eye contact is the basis of trust, releasing chemicals like oxytocin in the brain. If someone doesn't look us in the eye it’s safer for our subconscious mind to assume that we can’t trust that person rather than that they may be nervous.

• Remember it’s still OK to smile

Your mouth may be covered, but a smile is still visible in your eyes and the rest of your face. It can also be audible in your speech, making you sound warmer and friendlier, so remember to keep smiling even from behind your mask.

• Speak more distinctly

A face covering muffles speech and eliminates the possibility of lip-reading for those with hearing difficulties. Raise your voice and speak as clearly as possible to make yourself heard.

• Be mindful of your body language

Debrett’s coaches sometimes use an exercise in which participants put on masks and adopt a range of poses, to illustrate the importance of body language and of how much can be apparent from our posture and gestures when our faces are invisible. Keep your body language positive and open - avoid slouching or crossing your arms - if you want to come across as friendly and approachable.