Cup of Inspiration

Today, September 1st, is Bring Your Manners to Work Day. This is celebrated the first Friday of September.

In a time when selfishness and incivility seem too often to rule the day, a person can stand out by showing manners toward others. Some may say that people forgot manners in the workplace due to extended time working remotely. However, it doesn’t take a great deal of energy to simply remember to treat others as you would like to be treated. If you push yourself toward the front of a line because you feel entitled, think how you would feel if someone cut in front of you.

Basic manners go back to how you were taught (or should have been taught) as a child in school. The lessons are simple. Don’t cut others off. Don’t slam a door in someone’s face. If you make a mess in the break room, pick up after yourself and don’t leave it for your coworkers or the custodial staff. If you enjoy listening to music at your desk, wear headphones instead of forcing all of your coworkers to listen while they are trying to concentrate on their work. If you didn’t put the food in the breakroom fridge, and there’s no signage specifying that it’s community property, assume it belongs to someone else and don’t help yourself.

By simply remembering that you are not the center of the universe, and that others do have feelings that deserve to be considered at work, we can work better together and help reduce some stress during the workday.