It means treating others the way you want to be treated.

I had a conversation with a friend once about an experience they had with a plumber. While they were standing in the kitchen talking about the project…

The plumber spit tobacco juice in the kitchen sink.

Not once mind you, but 3-4 times! At least he had the courtesy to turn the water on and rinse out the sink.

I wonder if his wife let’s him spit tobacco juice in the sink at home.

While I was talking with this friend, I thought out loud, ‘What has happened to contractor etiquette?’ The more I’ve thought about it, more examples of this kind of ‘bad contractor behavior’ have come to mind.