Play Nice: Playground Rules for Respect in the Workplace

Play Nice: Playground Rules for Respect in the Workplace

Book #1 in The Sandbox Series

Empowering Women. Educating Men. Changing Workplace Culture.

🏆 Winner of the 2025 Reader Views Literary Award – Classics Division (Business)

What if the key to creating respectful workplaces was as simple as remembering the rules we learned on the playground?

Play Nice: Playground Rules for Respect in the Workplace is a practical and accessible guide to understanding workplace harassment, professional boundaries, workplace respect, and organizational culture. Written by attorney and workplace culture advocate Brigitte Gawenda Kimichik, JD, along with J.R. Tomlinson, this eye-opening book simplifies one of today's most important workplace conversations by applying the basic rules of fairness, kindness, and respect that we all learned as children.

In today's professional world, many people struggle to identify what constitutes sexual harassment, workplace misconduct, bullying, retaliation, or inappropriate behavior. Some employees don't realize they have experienced harassment or discrimination. Others may unknowingly engage in behaviors that create uncomfortable, disrespectful, or hostile work environments because those actions have long been overlooked or normalized.

Play Nice cuts through confusion and legal jargon to provide clear, relatable examples that help readers recognize inappropriate workplace behavior, understand their rights and responsibilities, and create healthier professional environments for everyone.

Inside Play Nice, You'll Learn:

• What legally qualifies as workplace sexual harassment
• How to recognize inappropriate workplace behavior and misconduct
• How to establish and maintain healthy professional boundaries
• What to do if you experience or witness harassment
• How bystanders can become effective allies
• How leaders, managers, and HR professionals can foster respectful workplace cultures
• Strategies for preventing workplace conflict, discrimination, and retaliation
• Practical tools for creating safer, more inclusive organizations

Whether you're an employee, manager, executive, HR professional, business owner, educator, parent, or student preparing to enter the workforce, Play Nice provides valuable insights that can help build more respectful, equitable, and productive workplaces.

More than a workplace harassment book, Play Nice is a guide to professional respect, workplace inclusion, and cultural change. It empowers individuals to advocate for themselves while teaching organizations how to create environments where everyone can thrive.

Praise for Play Nice

"Chock full of smart, strategic advice to help anyone suffering from toxic behavior in the workplace."

— Skip Hollandsworth, Executive Editor, Texas Monthly

"For real change to occur, it is imperative that we all start holding ourselves responsible for ensuring everyone is treated respectfully. Play Nice is a giant step in the right direction."

— Vanessa Fox, Corporate Vice President & Chief Development Officer, Jack in the Box

"This is a must-read for any human resources executive, any woman embarking on her professional career, and any bystander who is not sure what to do when faced with bad behavior."

— Joel L. Ross, Former General Counsel, Trammell Crow Company

Continue the Journey

After reading Play Nice, explore Play Smart: A Practical Career Guide for Women Navigating Male-Dominated Workplaces, Book #2 in The Sandbox Series, where Brigitte Gawenda Kimichik shares practical strategies for leadership, career advancement, workplace confidence, and professional success.