Work Place Ethics in Two Different Cultures.

I watched the erstwhile anchor of Hardball on MSNBC, Chris Matthews, as he apologized profusely (during an interview) for his “inappropriate behavior” when he paid compliments to a woman about her cute appearance. Listening to him, I had a flash back to some of the no-holds-barred jokes we used to make in NAL Merchant Bank of those days in Nigeria. I remember the time a woman jocularly slapped her male colleague in the butt and the guy insisted on taking “revenge”. And one particular guy, who went on to become a pastor & the CEO of a bank, was reputed for constantly yelling in the banking hall while joking with women; “Hey, I’ll tear off your panties.” In retrospect, I do wonder what a sharp contrast there is between the two different work environments.

A Lesson in Civility.

I was headed to a meeting recently at a downtown office building. There was a guy a few steps ahead of me, apparent in a slight hurry. In addition to observing his light jog, I also noticed we were headed in the same direction towards the elevator. As the elevator opened, he immediately got in and began frantically pressing the ‘close door’ button causing the elevator door to close as I was only a few steps away. Because I was visible, his refusal to attempt to hold the elevator for me raised a few questions in my mind about the state of civility in today’s society.We’re involved in a great deal of incivility ranging from simple gestures of kindness; the handling of social media; and, even what’s taking place in the presidential election.  We’ve moved past the days of giving someone the right-of-way  in traffic, stopping at cross walks, saying “excuse me” when inadvertently bumping into someone, sending “thank you” cards, etc. Taking all this into account we want to remind and encourage you to extend a little patience and kindness along with a sprinkling of some random acts of kindness in our everyday lives. We can all make a conscious effort to get civility back!

- Author unknown.