Ask HN: Have you ever taken a 'How Not To Be a Jerk' training class at work?

This, I guess, would be pretty close to, or inclusive of, any anti-sex/whatever harassment training.

In this case, though, it would actually include training on how to do things like:

  - how to ask again/remind someone of something they said they were going to do for you but have not yet
  - how to communicate non-violently -- e.g. you would learn _not_ to say things like i heard a jerky coworker tell others repeatedly in the not too distant past, "I already told you yesterday, blah blah blah".
  - the appropriate way to deal with situations when they're going sideways -- i.e. remain polite, at a minimum, e.g. another recent experience had a co-worker basically going off on a customer because the co-worker was impatient and incompetent.

Lots of thoughts behind this, but a couple are:

  - people don't know how to act *even when* they want to act correctly. the world is complicated, we don't all grow up in the same cultures, same happy/broken homes, etc.
  - postive reinforcement in small drips/snippets, say, at the beginning of each day, can help not only train people properly, but also actually improve behavior
  - this type of training _could_ greatly reduce worker suffering, whether at the hands of managers or non-manager co-workers

There are a few ideas here, but that's the gist of it. It's like morality training for the workplace.

I think a lot of the School of Life site/store/school/whatever:

https://www.theschooloflife.com/

I think of them a lot because I often think to myself, 'man -- we need a school of _life_ or something'.

And then i look them up again and see how they're doing some of the things i think are cool, and some that are less than.

but in these times of civil society breakdown, i feel like this type of training could 'help the centre hold' -- in this case, the centre of the company, or a single worker's professional and/or personal life (as affected by what's happening at work).

so, maybe you're about to tell a co-worker to f-off, but...your 'keepin it real' morality lesson this morning told you how to deal with bottled up frustration -- e.g. go chill, take some time, wait until tomorrow to ask/say/do anything, ask co-worker if you can chat over coffee in the breakroom, break out the non-violence communication skills, talk it over, etc.

Benefits would in theory accrue to company bottom lines, worker happiness/satisfaction/dignity, etc.