Why It’s Important

Respect in the workplace results in higher job satisfaction. When you work in an environment that properly shows you respect, it makes you feel more welcome and safer. Feeling respect makes it easier to voice opinions, share knowledge, and reduces stress. It’s important to be respected but also to give respect. Respect in the workplace is vital, and it is not solely the responsibility of your employees. Each member of the team must demonstrate respect for it to you. This includes the employees, the higher-ups, the interns, the volunteers; each person that you interact with on a regular basis.

Additionally, your company will experience a more positive culture and you will notice an increase in employee satisfaction and a decrease in turnover. When there are mutual fairness and kindness being spread, the overall morale of a company/workplace shift but so will your life outside of work. Have you ever worked in a negative place and just dreaded everything in life because of it? It was hard to feel excited because you were so weighed down by your job. It’s just about the worst feeling ever. If you’re feeling that now you must get out. There’s too much beauty in life to enjoy.

Pay Doesn’t Validate Disrespect

I repeat, pay does not validate disrespect. It does not matter how much you are getting paid; your well-being will never be justified by how much someone is paying you. At the end of the day, money really does not buy happiness. It is so hard leaving jobs that pay well but if you aren’t happy with how you are being treated, either speak up or leave. There should never be an in-between.

When you allow someone to treat you poorly (even if they are paying you well), you’re degrading your value. You get to set the standard of how you want to be treated, so set it high. Don’t apologize for things you aren’t sorry for and don’t make excuses for someone else’s dismissal. You matter, in and out of work and you deserve to feel how crucial you are to the workplace.

It Goes Both Ways

Respect is a two-way street and in order to get respect in the workplace, you also have to give it. It isn’t always easy giving respect to co-workers, especially when they may not be your favorite person but sometimes it’s better to bite your tongue and walk away than to say something you’ll regret later. You know the golden rule? Treat others the way you want to be treated? It applies here. You’ll receive respect from those around you when you give it to others. Regardless of personal opinions, business is business and a functional environment doesn’t house a lot of tension.

Giving respect to everyone you work with will make interactions more genuine and will help shift the morale of the environment. When you look at each co-worker as a team-mate rather than competition, you will feel the boost in positivity. This will make it easier to step up as a leader and include everyone’s voice. Often, the mistake when leading is using your voice as the control but realistically, a strong leader works towards agreed goals and incorporates the views of everyone.

There will always be someone that just doesn’t care. No matter how hard you try to please them, no matter what you do, or how you treat them, they just won’t be nice. Some people are just difficult but when you stoop to their level, you become them. Respect is a two-way street but even when you don’t receive it, you can still give it. You never know how your respect could shift their perspective and make them feel. You will then be able to walk away confidently, knowing that there’s nothing more you could have done to improve that situation. Be the bigger person, always.

How It Affects Your Work

When respect is demonstrated, there is better communication leading to higher productivity levels. It’s easier to talk and work together when in a respectful environment because you know that your ideas and opinions will hold value and the same goes for others.

Being respected and giving respect in the workplace will affect the energy of the office/work area. No one wants to work in a boring and negative environment.

You may not even realize how respect is affecting your work until you experience a shift. Have you ever had your boss come into work with a bad mood and everyone is walking on eggshells all day? It’s the absolute worst and it impacts the work you are doing.

Having Boundaries

You have boundaries in relationship and friendships so why wouldn’t you have them at work? Work relationships impact your emotions just as much as emotional ones. Creating boundaries that are important to you will help you gain respect in the workplace. Boundaries are personal rules or guidelines that validate what we will and will not deal with. For example, having boundaries of how late you are willing to stay at work means saying “I will not work this late” or “I will not work X number of hours”. Creating (and sticking to) boundaries is important in order to feel heard and respected in the workplace. Get thorough explanations of your job duties to better understand your responsibilities and ask for periodic feedback to stay on track and reduce confusion.

Setting expectations of yourself as well as your co-workers (including your boss) is a strong way to set boundaries. Knowing and understanding your limits and how much you can take from someone is important in understanding yourself. This will prevent you from being pushed over the edge. When you don’t set realistic expectations, it is easy to become disappointed. You will then begin to resent the work that you are doing. Communicate your needs to your co-workers so everyone is aware of your expectations. Ask for the same in return.

Have a work-life balance and be okay saying no to things you can’t handle, don’t have time for, or don’t feel comfortable doing. When you aren’t okay with the way things are or you feel disrespected, speak up to your boss and/or human resources. Nothing will change or improve if you don’t speak up.

Ways to Demonstrate Respect:

– Manage anger
– Open communication
– Reduce Judgement
– Take responsibility for your actions
– Use empathy
– Stop gossiping
– Propose solutions rather than complain
– Separate business from personal