Work professionally. It's an easy sentence to say, but the limitations of maintaining professionalism at work are not easy to do. In fact, doing work with professionalism is often misinterpreted as boundless totality.
In fact, working professionally does not mean sacrificing values, relationships, or health for results. Instead, true professionalism is the art of maintaining ethical, emotional and spiritual boundaries to maintain dignity.
Professionalism at work can also mean maintaining dignified relationships with colleagues in the workspace. If in real life humans are bound by norms, so too in the work environment, each individual needs to maintain manners which are the core of individual relationship values.
British philosopher Thomas Hobbes' teachings on professional relationships, particularly in the context of ethics and behavior, suggest that humans are inherently selfish and self-serving. This trait can lead to the chaos of bellum omnium contra omnes.
In the end, Hobbes also suggested the existence of a force that could reduce the selfishness of each individual. Then turn it into energy to achieve common interests, namely with the presence of an institution such as an absolute state. Of course, this will no longer be relevant in a democratic human life.
Something similar can also happen in individual relationships in the work environment. Each individual can be very self-centered. They can act outside of normal limits. Bosses can give orders without regard to the workload and scope of duties of their subordinates. Or a colleague may go too far in interfering in the personal affairs of a coworker.
That's what happens when there is a lack of manners in a work environment. In today's modern society, manners are often considered an ornament, not a foundation.
In fact, adab is not just good manners; it is an expression of human values that maintains self-respect, builds trust, and creates a morally and emotionally healthy workspace.
Adab is the art of behavior rooted in self-awareness, respect for others, and commitment to the common good. Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher, emphasized that people should be treated as ends, not means. In work relationships, this means that each individual is not allowed to be exploited and there needs to be mutual respect.
With that in mind, there are various challenges that individuals in today's work environment must be aware of. Such as the hustle culture, a lifestyle that emphasizes hard work and excessive productivity, often at the expense of rest and personal life.
There is also extreme competition that becomes unhealthy, due to overzealous ambition. On the other hand, digital communication often erodes manners in horizontal relationships.
In order to eradicate the disease of poor manners, it is necessary to build work rituals that nurture manners. Such as respecting coworkers, maintaining good communication, cooperating, and being professional. Building healthy and dignified working relationships will encourage solid teamwork and a positive work environment.
Adab is not a nostalgia for the past, but an investment in the future. It creates a work ecosystem that is not only productive, but also dignified. In an increasingly complex world, adab is the guideline that leads us to remain human while maintaining professionalism.
