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Research: 'Golden Rule' Lost Among Coworkers

BOSTON (CBS) - The "Golden Rule" is pretty simple. The whole "do unto others" speech most of us heard from our parents growing up.

But something seems to be getting lost at the office. New research found that workers aren't as nice to each other.

One worker told WBZ-TV that he has noticed more selfishness at work these days.

Stanford professor Jeffrey Pfeffer found that coworkers are much less likely to return a favor to a colleague than they would someone outside the office. In a YouTube video, Pfeffer explained "Organizations are not about the past. They are about the future. So therefore, to the extent that you are not going to be useful to me in the future, or not going to be helpful to me in my job or my career, then I won't feel as obligated."

Another worker responded, "In the current environment we are going through, with the Great Recession we've been in, there's been a lot of fear of losing jobs."

There might be some hope that an improving job market might reverse this trend, but experts say the legacy of the corporate cutbacks isn't expected to go away anytime soon.

"You hate to say it, but I think you might see people who are saying, 'I have this expert skill, I don't want to train my replacement,'" said human resource consultant Elaine Varelas of Keystone Partners.

Varelas added she believes many companies are aware of this new dynamic, but actually think there is a plus side to it. "It might not be very nice, but it does typically enhance productivity."

Kerry Grogan is in the competitive field of sales. She wishes people would be nicer to one another. "I think that in work environments, particularly with other women, I always find that women working with other women, often times they don't help each other. They try and be better first."

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