Happy Friday! Here’s your weekly tip on how to be more human at work

Replace the toilet paper

You’re in the bathroom at home. You see the toilet paper is almost done. Do you replace it right away? Do you wait until it’s done to replace it? Do you do nothing and assume someone else will take care of it?

At home, I take pride in being the guy that replaces the toilet paper. But sometimes I get lazy and tell myself I’ll take care of it next time. Invariably, the next time is when I rather urgently need to sit on the throne and I find that the roll is empty. Which means now I don’t have a choice. I have to replace the roll pronto. At a time when I can least afford it.

Life and work are full of these moments and choices. Little tasks that are not part of your formal job description but make the place a bit better for yourself and others.

Showing up as a human at work means going beyond your formal role. (Note: the same applies to any other part of your life. Try telling your spouse that whatever it is that he or she wants you to do is not in your formal job description. Let me know how that goes. And no, you cannot sleep on my couch if this experiment goes sideways.)

I’m not talking about taking on a significant body of work that someone else is responsible for. Though sometimes that is precisely what you should do. I’m talking about the little things. The things that fall between the cracks. The printer that just ran out of paper. The plate of cookies that was left on the conference table after a meeting. The car service to the team dinner that someone forgot to book.

If you’re paying attention — and you should — you’ll find plenty of opportunities to fix little problems, remove small irritants, or add a little delight to make the experience of work and the workplace better for you and the people you work with.

Don’t be an asswipe. Change the roll before it’s needed.

This message was brought to you by the humans of Rule No. 1.