Why respect

Total employee engagement is a target that many businesses strive to reach. Although there are many strategies for keeping motivation levels up in the workplace , one of the most straightforward strategies is to show respect for all members of your team. As mentioned earlier, Harvard Business Review found that when 20, employees were questioned, respect was the number one behaviour that encouraged greater commitment and employee engagement.

Employees reported that respect from their managers had a more positive impact than recognition, constructive feedback, sharing the company vision, or opportunities for career or personal development. When employees feel respected by other team members, they are less likely to be stressed and more likely to apply themselves to their work.

This is also true when your employees know that their managers and team leaders respect them and the work they are doing. When colleagues show respect to each other in the workplace, a sense of community is established, and incidences of bullying, harassment, or arguing can be diminished.

When management shows respect for all employees, there are no opportunities for favouritism, bullying, or harassment. In an environment built on respect, strengthening and building relationships can be better understood as the crucial foundation of quality work. When there is respect in the workplace, the work environment becomes an enjoyable place to be rather than a burden. Respect can replace jealousy with compliments, gossiping with congratulating, and harassment with appreciation.

Whereas trust can be considered a belief in your staff, respect involves putting that trust into action.

For a relationship to be based around trust and respect, each and every team member must be prepared to take responsibility for their actions. This includes even the most senior-level management. Company directors and high-tier managers must lead by example, instilling trust in their teams by displaying respectful attitudes and listening to their employees.

Business leaders have a responsibility to mobilise their employees and set a positive course. To openly model respectful values and encourage a positive work environment, managers have to care and value the opinions of their staff.

Each employee provides unique strengths, communication methods, and values. Therefore, managers should take time to get to know their staff on an individual basis, actively encouraging them to get to know each other. This way, when problems arise, managers are better equipped to help resolve conflicts between individuals.

By adapting to individuals, staff can help demonstrate awareness of their personality and unique character. This can help to make them feel respected while earning mutual respect at the same time. Just as listening is important, so is communication. Do you prioritise communications with leaders at the very top of your company? Or do you dedicate time to the individual contributors at the lower end of the managerial hierarchy?

Serving and being kind are two different things. When you are being kind, it is not necessary to serve but it surely is a tough job. We often give people something they can use. Kindness is really just an expression of respect. When someone is in need, we can show kindness which will result in them feeling respect. Example of Showing Respect by being Kind to others.

Being polite is one of the easiest ways to show respect. An act of politeness can leave others feeling respected and positive. It is integral to be polite with yourself and others around you to maintain respectful behavior. Example of Showing Respect by being polite to others. Showing respect in the workplace allows you to maintain a positive and healthy work environment.

You allow yourself to be respected by others while developing an understanding between you and other employees. Alongside, respect is a great assistance for removing workplace conflict, stress, and problems. An increase in the overall respect amongst employees helps in better communication between colleagues, an increase in teamwork, and maintaining peace in the workplace.

When mutual respect is encouraged, it eventually results in increased productivity, understanding, and knowledge. With the increase in mutual understanding and respect, the exchange of positivity and ideas will increase the overall innovation and knowledge. Reducing the quantity of triviality and politics in the workplace will also assist in increased productivity.

Employees are similar to vehicles- they need some amount of fuel injected in them so they can function properly. Owed respect sums up to all members being equally respected. This is the universal respect all members receive and feel included in the organization. It distinguishes employees who have exceeded expectations and, particularly in knowledge work settings, affirms that each employee has unique strengths and talents.

Earned respect meets the need to be valued for doing good work. Defend your employees, defend them in front of company management when necessary. If certain mistakes were made in your department, in a conversation with the director of the company, in no case shift the blame on employees, but speak on behalf of the entire department. Some department heads very often try to shield themselves personally and blame a particular employee. If you strive to create a strong and friendly team, learn how to intercede with the leadership, and only later solve the problem individually.

It helps to maintain the discipline of an organization, and also employees perceive that they are treated equally without any discrimination. A respectful person will be able to effectively and professionally deal with the workload and difficult tasks at the workplace. A respectful environment helps employees to rationally deal with an unmanageable situation without losing their patience.

A respectful environment reduces workplace stress, problems, and conflicts. It helps in improving communication and teamwork. Respect helps to promote a positive culture, which increases employee satisfaction as employees feel happy and motivated while working in such an environment.

Conversely, a lack of respect can do real damage. Also, disrespect is often spread among colleagues and transferred to clients. In all but the most toxic workplaces, fostering a respectful atmosphere in an organization does not require an HR policy review or other formal changes.

Rather, there is a need to constantly search for different methods by which respect can become an important part of the workplace. Disrespect leads directly to a serious loss of productivity, as a huge amount of time is spent on conflicts or trying to resolve them.

Rude behavior, inappropriate tone, inappropriate activities such as being late for appointments, sending rude and unwanted emails to colleagues, gossiping, manipulating clients and colleagues with misinformation, and wasting time surfing the internet, instead of work. Also, can escalate into illegal dismissal or harassment lawsuits.

When employees ignore their colleagues or ignore their opinions, those who are not respected tend to be defensive, making it difficult for them to trust someone at work. In such an atmosphere, everyone feels a little hostile which indirectly affects their productivity and performance at the workplace. When managers ignore their employees or deny their opinions then such, they become unproductive as managers constantly ignore to appreciate their hard work.

According to the Department of Public Human Resources Management of the US National Institutes of Health, effective teams are the foundation of business success, but disrespect from colleagues makes teamwork nearly impossible. People are moving from command consciousness to self-preservation. Rudeness is also insidious because it is difficult to justify. This does not sound like overt verbal abuse or violence, but it ultimately leads to a lack of cooperation, open hostility, and mistrust between colleagues.

Many people would prefer to leave high-paying, prestigious jobs for seemingly lesser opportunities just because they are unhappy in a hostile environment. A Gallup poll found that about 17 percent of workers quit their jobs because of bad relationships with managers. For example, the next time you are eager to share your thoughts, make sure that everyone has had a chance to speak first. Encourage everyone to participate. This might increase collaboration within your team.

Respect applies to nonverbal communication and body language as well. You can support your peers and be respectful even without talking.

Think about how you interact with your coworkers, and make sure it is in a respectful manner. A few examples include making eye contact when someone talks to you and nodding to show that you are actively listening. Read more: 4 Types of Communication With Examples. People feel respected when they are trusted with information and understand the bigger picture and larger goals within an organization.

By taking steps to be transparent, you show that you trust your colleagues with information and want to work toward solutions together. You can do this by sending regular updates on a project or explaining why you took certain steps to complete a task. Related: Core Values: Overview and Examples. In the same way that you should listen to what others have to say and acknowledge their good ideas, it is also important to recognize the strengths and accomplishments of the people on your team.

Try to praise others for their skills, dedication or successes to show your respect and appreciation. By understanding that other people in the company are busy, you can give them respect. Ideally, they will return the respect to you. For example, if you schedule a meeting, make sure that it starts and ends on time.

This shows respect to your coworkers because you value their time and the work they have to do. Balancing your workload can make you more effective, and your coworkers might be willing to offer a helping hand.

When everyone works together, projects can get done on time and meet the goals of management and your clients. If a coworker offers to help with your workload, try to give them work that is relevant to their jobs or beneficial to their careers. This will create meaning in what they do and might make them want to help you in the future. If you ask most people for their description of respect, they will often use terms like courtesy or politeness, and these are two elements that are important in a successful workplace.

People are more willing to help you if you are polite. Taking simple steps like asking your coworkers politely for help can go a long way.