I've read The Workplace constantly for a few months, and I'm confused about the scope of the tags professionalism and unprofessional-behavior. It seems to me they're talking about the same or similar aspects of the workplace, only from opposite perspectives. Can anyone help me understand their differences?
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2Related post where merging both tags was discussed: Merge Tags: professionalism and unprofessional-behavior – DarkCygnus♦ Nov 18 '20 at 18:48
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1Update to the stats in the post @DarkCygnus linked: 474 questions now have the unprofessional version while 3,475 are tagged professionalism. 166 have both tags. – Lilienthal♦ Nov 19 '20 at 22:10
Professionalism is usually used in cases of where someone is trying to do something, like:
"How do I leave a bad job in a professional way", or "How do I keep it professional when dealing with a client who is a bit too personal".
Unprofessional behavior usually used when having to address the unprofessional behavior directly, and often references HR. "Joe is putting fish in the microwave and stinking up the whole place, nobody likes it, should I go to HR".
There is some overlap however where.... "How do I tell someone that they smell bad in a professional way"
It's hair splitting at times, admittedly, but there are differences.