Respect in Both Professional Life and Personal Life

We all know not to be late to an interview. We all know to be ten minutes early on the first day of work. We all know not to keep the client waiting at the restaurant and to make sure to pay the bill later. We all know that we should call in sick rather than just not show up (whether you're really sick). We all know to hand in the letter of resignation with two weeks' notice.

Many viable professional traits are woven into these simple actions: responsibility, punctuality, prudence. But at the core of it all, as human beings, there is one thing we want reciprocated: respect.

You wouldn't be late to work, so why should you ever be late with friends? Do you respect your boss and your co-workers more than you do your friends?

You might say that friends should think it's okay to be late (almost all the time) with friends. After all, you're friends, right? You should be able to relax around each other after being in a stressful work environment. Friends should forgive each other even though one of them is late time after time, right? You don't need to follow the typical rules of responsibility, punctuality, prudence, and respect with your friends as you would in a professional setting, right?

I don't know. You can shirk those typical rules if you want, but I'll tell you that you don't give your friends the respect friends deserve.