The New Rules of Workplace Etiquette: How to eat, meet, dress, DM, AI and all-around behave in Office 2026

Author(s): Underwood, K.

Date: 2026

Resource: Maclean’s.

COVID lockdowns may be well in the rearview, but our social skills never fully recovered. As Canadian workers are slowly ushered back to the office—one, three or five days a week—vestiges of our full-time home lives have returned with us. Our work pants are softer. We’re adjusting to the fact that, in the hybrid age, lunch breaks sometimes require staff-wide Slack announcements. We’ve had to relearn the art of commuting. Recently, AI entered the chat—and sometimes co-authors chat messages with us. Work looks nothing like it used to. Neither does workplace etiquette.

Rather than let Canadians cast about during the great return-to-office reformation, Maclean’s asked 20-plus experts at the top of their games for their tips on how to be the most respectful, responsible and fun IRL and WFH colleague you can be. Here, how to eat, meet, dress, DM, AI and all-around behave in Office 2026.

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