The Importance of "Good-Bye"

In other countries business is the last thing discussed. In the U.S., business is something to be gotten out of the way, and after business is finished up the meeting is over. Something as simple as saying "good-bye" is thought to be a waste of breath. In Hispanic cultures before any business can be discussed there must be some small talk and "[t]his small talk is important to building trust" (Salas). As American big business has developed, the concept of personal relations has become somewhat lacking with money being the chief concern and the rest is irrelevant until it affects the finances. There is an art to small talk in order to gain positive business relations which adds to the irony behind the financially oriented American business conversations. Take for example colleagues. They may not even have the slightest awareness of what is going on in each other's lives but would become extremely interested if one were to get a slight pay raise or some time off. Though the extra time or money could be completely justified by unique circumstances the only thing that is pertinent nowadays is the fact that one employee got it and others did not. Maybe it's time some businesses took a corporate work day and turned it into a social.

Criminal negligence: Lack of small talk