What Is The Platinum Rule and How Can You Apply It?

Most of us grew up striving to live by The Golden Rule, to “do unto others what you would want them to do unto you.” However, there is a new and improved way to treat others and receive treatment. Now, people are choosing to live by The Platinum Rule. 

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The Platinum Rule recommends you “do unto others as they would want done to them.” In this article, we’ll take a closer look at The Platinum Rule and how you can implement it in your career. 

What Is the Platinum Rule in the Workplace? 

Implementing The Platinum Rule in your workplace will take practice and time. It requires communication, understanding, and active listening to figure out how each of your colleagues wants to be treated. 

Everyone has their own perspectives, traditions, cultures, and backgrounds. Here are three helpful tips for implementing The Platinum Rule in your workplace. 

Communicate Your Needs and Listen to Others 

If you want others to be clear about their needs in the workplace, you need to be clear about yours. Work to create a workplace where you can communicate freely with your colleagues while inviting them to do the same. 

It can be as simple as letting your officemate know you prefer not to talk until you’ve cleared your morning emails. Or it could be asking your team member if they mind low-volume background music while you work. Make your preferences known and listen to the preferences of your coworkers. 

Practice Empathy 

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. It means identifying and understanding what others are feeling and seeing situations from someone else’s point of view. Take the time to get to know your coworkers, and find out their likes, dislikes, goals, and pastimes. 

When you treat others with empathy, it shows respect, appreciation, and compassion. A workplace that operates with empathy and communication will have little conflict, high employee morale, and inevitable growth.

Ask Questions and Ask Them Often

Once you begin to practice The Platinum Rule, improve upon it by continuing to communicate. Ask questions. Talk to your colleagues. Listen to your team members to identify how they want to be treated. Moreover, be mindful of how these needs may shift and change over the years. 

Golden Rule vs Platinum Rule: Which One Does Your Business Need? 

When you operate with The Golden Rule, treating others how you want to be treated, you are only seeing things from one perspective. Also, it can be rather presumptuous, operating under the guise that others share the same viewpoints as you. In reality, people’s lived experiences are complex and multifaceted.

With The Platinum Rule, people are forced to put themselves in others’ shoes, and consider others' feelings, traditions, and backgrounds. We are not all alike, so we should not assume everyone wants to be treated the way we want to be treated.

Instead, taking the time to consider how each of your employees, team members, and colleagues want to be treated individually will improve workplace morale. It will also improve productivity and organizational success. 

If you want your colleagues and your business to thrive, practice The Platinum Rule. This will set your company up for success, expansion, and better employee retention. 

Stay Platinum in Your Career with ASAP 

Our industry-leading experts here at ASAP have a plethora of tools and knowledge for administrative professionals today. If you want to take your career to the next level, look to us. We have the resources and training you need to grow your skill set and become a leader in this field.