There are many parables and stories about treating people how you want to be treated. Oftentimes, we may treat someone on a seemingly lower rung without the kind of respect we use on those considered above us. While we might be happily swinging along on tree branches closer to the sun at times, and should take advantage of the bananas within our reach, we should never forget whose shoulders we stood on to get there. Tables turn. Those behind you today may be further along than you tomorrow, so it's important to treat everyone with dignity so you're not left groveling for your job someday because of petty BS. For example, the company I work for has been undergoing massive restructuring over the past four months, unexpectedly shifting the dynamic and putting many new people into positions of responsibility and power. On the upside, I've had the honor of promoting people who were disregarded, disenfranchised, and disillusioned and ensured they received everything befitting their new roles, even against murmurs of dissent. But it has been an eye-opener seeing some people having to scramble to get into teams because suddenly no team leader wants them due to the way they've treated the same people in the past when they were in charge. Nobody wants a toxic work environment and all it takes is one rotten tomato to make the whole place reek, but identifying the teammate who is not a team player can be the greatest challenge for a new manager. And don't even think that managers don't speak amongst themselves. They are constantly in contact, turning to each other for advice, comfort, suggestions, and a shoulder when work becomes trying. A difficult teammate might be mentioned in a meeting about staff progress. The opinion poll on how to deal with such will open, with everyone giving their 2 cents or sharing their own experiences with said person. The wheel turns, as they say. So be careful who you step on at work because they could become the person in charge of your next promotion, or pay increase, and your pettiness might come back to bite you. Just saying.

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