This may sound like an exercise akin to patting your head and rubbing your tummy, but I am quite serious about this seemingly simple concept. A reader recently sent me this note illustrating the lack of awareness and kindness towards others. Perhaps we can all learn from this reader’s questions: “I really enjoy your column. Thanks for the great suggestions for the New Year, which I intend to use. One thing that maybe you could consider writing about is the following: It really bothers me that many people today seem [...]

Autumn is here and with it brought a return to school for students, a renewed energy in the workplace with summer holidays behind us, and the end of the extensive summer vacation for government. With everyone raring to go, there are bound to be uncontrolled fits and misplaced bursts of energy, many people jockeying for positions of comfort after their rejuvenating summer breaks. Undoubtedly, there will be instances where people are so enthusiastic or full of themselves in general that they will exhibit uncivil behavior. We are, after all, human [...]

Most of us grew up with the nursery rhyme “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me”. At a young age, when we would parrot such expressions while being verbally bullied, it seemed quite effective. There we would be, two kids face-to-face, finding our way through our worlds – the playground or the classroom, deciding who would have the upper hand. Usually once this exchange was completed, order was established and we went on about our business. Whatever was said by the bully didn’t seem [...]

In the wake of the horrific shootings in Tucson on January 8, the US media, as only they can do, have really wound me up by turning this tragic event into somewhat of a Medusa. They have dutifully dissected almost every angle imaginable, as is their manner of reporting. I have listened to arguments and opinions by journalists, politicians and entertainers from all sides. They are bandying around what appears to be a new concept to them – civility. However, in my opinion, they have missed the most important point [...]

Did you know last month, in the wake of the shootings in Arizona, the National Institute for Civil Discourse opened? The NICD is housed at the University of Arizona, not that far from where the shootings took place. The goal of the Institute is to advocate for civility in public discourse. I encouraged this too, after the shootings, in my post, A Call for Enduring Civility. Where I asked everyone, not just politicians, to promote civility. This is a huge step in creating awareness to an ongoing and often destructive problem that is growing in our [...]

Earlier this week, along with over 30 million other viewers, I watched President Obama’s heartfelt speech at the memorial for the Tucson shooting victims. Like his predecessors after similar national tragedies, The President of the United States called on us all, as Americans, to make a change for the better. But will we? We’ve been down many similar roads and seemed to have failed and went back to our old ways. Remember 9/11? Of course, you do. You probably even remember exactly where you were when you heard the news. I know I [...]

There are a number of basic phrases which are part of any good arsenal of etiquette words. I have discussed the virtues of ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ in previous columns. Here I would like to share my thoughts on the phrase ‘you’re welcome’. This phrase usually follows ‘thank you’. But more times than not, we forget to complete this communication. What exactly do we mean when we say ‘you’re welcome’? For one thing, we indicate that we have heard and accepted the thanks conveyed. For another, it shows that we [...]

Last year, I wrote about the importance of kindness in the workplace, so I was glad to see that our friends over at the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation recently published their own post on this subject. Like us, they advocate for the same simple, yet effective way of creating respect in your workplace, the act of saying “thank you” to your employees. Check out their post for great tips and non-traditional ways to thank your employees in the new year and all year!

Ready or not, it’s that time of year again when we pop that oversized turkey into the oven and hope for the best that it’s moist and delicious! Perhaps it’s time to shine the silver and polish the wine glasses reserved for special occasions. It is most certainly a time for families to get together and give thanks for the bounty provided by the good earth and for the many blessings of our lives. Although gratitude is an expression of thanks, which we hopefully develop as a habit, even in [...]

Although here at RespectfulWorkplace.com we advocate moving past tolerance, it is a good place to start on the path to respect. That’s why I was happy to learn that TODAY is the UN declared International Day of Tolerance. How will YOU celebrate?