by Barb Hickey

Created on: February 24, 2009

The Things We Learned In Kindergarten That Somehow Haven't Made It Into The Workplace

"All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten" is a collection of short essays by Robert Fulghum. The essays discuss the behaviors that we learn in kindergarten and how these behaviors can help us to interact and respect each other throughout our lives. But, somehow it seems these behaviors are missing from most workplaces. We spend more time at work than we do at home which makes it even more challenging to deal with bad mannered co-workers.

Fulghum writes, "Put things back where you found them" and "Don't take things that are not yours." Just look around any kindergarten classroom and you can see that children understand this rule. However, how many times have reached for something on your desk like a stapler, tape, or your favorite pen only to find it missing. Every office seems to have a habitual borrower who "borrows" things from everyone and never returns them. These people tend to operate at night after you have gone for the day causing you to go on a scavenger hunt the next morning to find your missing items.

"Clean up your own mess," writes Fulghum. Everyone office seems to have a kitchen slob. You know the person that heats up his leftover Chinese food in the microwave without covering it and leaves a splattered mess for someone else to clean up. There is the co-worker that dumps her leftover food in sink when it doesn't have a garbage disposal. And, how about the co-workers that leaves her dirty dishes in the sink and refuses to put them in the dishwasher. Then there's the coffee guy. This is the guy that will take the last drop of coffee and not make a fresh pot. You know he has been there when you start smelling the empty pot burning. And, there is the coffee circler. This is guy that found the empty pot and won't make a new one, so he will get up from his desk every five minutes and walk past the kitchen to see if someone is brewing a fresh pot of coffee.

Fulghum writes, "Play fair" and "Say you're sorry when you hurt someone." This means be honest with people and don't do things that will intentionally hurt them. Every office seems to have a few of these people too. These are the ones that like to take credit for your ideas or the ones that don't invite you to important meetings. This is the person that likes to withhold important information that could help you with your project. This is the person that will use something you shared in confidence against

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>