Tread carefully when jumping to judgment at work

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The truth is, most people are just trying to get through the day like we are. Or, as Leonard Cohen once put it, “We go up a mountain or into a hole. But most of the time we’re hustling on Boogie Street one way or another.”

Like us, they probably have foibles and anxieties and a measure of self-delusion. They’re probably adored by a partner, parent or child. They probably have days when their breath is foul. They probably have a guilty TV pleasure that seems totally out of character. They probably fear rejection and public humiliation and being told their work is sub-standard. Just like us.

It’s OK to wrinkle our noses in contempt when people we don’t know all that well (and may not care to ever know) blame a dog for a fart. Or when they claim to have had a traumatic encounter with the Paddle Pop Lion. Or when they repeat a joke seven times too many. It’s OK as long as we remember that it’s probably not the action of a pathologically dishonest, annoying or inept character. It might just be someone having a bad day. Or dealing with a difficulty … poorly from our perspective, but perhaps the best way they can in the moment.

And we should also remember that sometimes it’s us making the mistake. We’re the ones jumping to conclusions, or ignoring the facts, or being unfair.

We’re the ones mocking the man who appears to be using a cartoon cliche as an excuse, not realising he has indeed broken his coccyx slipping on a banana skin.

Need some Work Therapy? Email your office dilemma, question or celebrity sighting story to [email protected]

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