The Value of Respect in Modern Organizations

‘Respect’ is an important value in every culture. We are all taught to respect other people; whether they are older or younger than us. We are also taught to respect properties and belongings that are not ours.

However, many working employees found themselves not being respected either by their subordinates or superiors at their workplace. Many have complained that they have experienced different kinds of uncivil behaviors, verbal and nonverbal abuse as well as bullying and humiliation from their superiors. These uncivil behaviors can include silent treatment, demeaning jokes, ‘scapegoating’, backstabbing, and harassment.

Types of ‘Disrespects’

There are many forms of ‘disrespects’ being displayed among the employees of different levels. Some come in the more ‘open’ method such as bullying, belittling others, demeaning jokes, as well as harassments. Hidden forms of abuse are like bad mouthing about certain employees or colleagues, gossiping, backstabbing, scapegoating and embarrassing employees in front of their peers.

Here are a few steps which you can take should you find yourself in such situation:

Examine Your Own Behavior First

When you start experiencing uncivil behaviors from people around you, you will feel uncomfortable. So, start to reflect on your own actions first. Have you shown any disrespect to your staff or colleagues? There may be many incidents which you may not recall well. You may have done so consistently or unintentionally. You may even have done so because you have seen your peers doing so.

 Apologize to the person(s)

After you have examined yourself, gather the courage within you to own up to your ignorance. Do this as soon as possible. You may apologize openly or behind closed doors. Owning up to your ignorance takes a lot of courage. You will be appreciated for your effort. Apologizing can prevent ugly litigations and staff attrition, something you do not wish to happen to you.

Lead By Example

You do not have to wait for your superiors to realize that ‘respect’ in the workplace is an important value. You can start doing so – this is lead by example. Make it clear that you do not tolerate ‘disrespect’ at the workplace. Reprimand anyone showing disrespect to others immediately. When others see you showing respect to your colleagues, they will do the same too. The workplace environment will indeed be different.

Document the Aggressive Behaviors

There are arrogant people in any organization who look down upon others. They feel that their positions allow them to behave aggressively toward their subordinates.

If you should meet such people, you can document what they say. Carry with you a voice recorder. When you are verbally abused, record what is said by that superior. You need to report to the HR department immediately. Produce the evidence when you are asked to.

Should the case involve discrimination against beliefs, racial and sexual, get legal counsels immediately.

Get the HR to educate staff on the value of ‘respect’

Aggressive behaviors are usually the cause of internal conflicts among staff. Suggest to the HR to engage an organization trainer to educate staff on this value. Make sure everybody attends the training and have some follow up observations done after the training.

You can suggest to the HR to include a phrase or two about aggressive and uncivil behaviors in the Employee’s Handbook. Everyone in the organization will be more careful with what they say or do towards others.

As human is considered a precious factor in every productivity process, the HR of every organization have to make sure these uncivil behaviors are handled properly. If not, there will be a sharp fall in productivity.  Nobody will want to work in such an unpleasant environment again.

Give opportunities to your colleagues or staff to express their appreciation for one another

This is for you if you are a boss of an organization. Organize some activities where everyone in your organization can participate. Let them help each other. Give them a chance to thank and praise each other. Let them know your organization appreciates them too.

If you are not in any superior positions, you can still do something. Be the first to show appreciation to your colleagues. Respect their actions and thoughts. In return, you will be respect too.

 Commit to the principle of respecting others and their individuality

Everyone has different behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, lifestyle, perspectives and visions. It is because of these, everyone deserves to be respected. You have your own individuality too. You also demand respect from others, especially your colleagues and staff. So, you have to be committed to this principle all th time!

Take a firm stand against uncivil behaviors all the time.  Do not let anyone in your organization get away with it. It is contagious! Many employees, for fear of their work and future, choose to keep quiet and silently endured the stress and depression. You can imagine what that will do to an organization’s reputation. 

Only people who respect others and insist on doing so will find themselves being labeled as ‘effective individuals’. Keep your job and keep your staff.  Show them the respect they deserve.    

Ever wondered why companies, large or small stress on ‘communication’ when they are hiring new staff? Yes, they all know the importance of ‘communication’. Now, let us describe a little detail about communication.

Communication is a process of transferring information from a sender to a receiver with the use of a medium so that the information is understood by both parties. There may be many ways of communication; however, both parties must understand a common language to get the information across.

It is not wrong to say that we, human can acquire ‘communication’ skills. Although we can talk and hear, we must learn to speak and listen effectively to communicate. We all develop our abilities in listening, speaking and identifying other non-verbal meanings in the learning process of communication.

By now you should realize that those who have succeeded possess effective communication skills. And, yes. These skills can be learned. You do not have to pay to attend any course. Use these simple strategies to help you communicate better.

When someone is speaking to you:

·        Make eye contact

It is polite to look at the person talking to you. An eye contact here shows that you are paying attention to what is said. Remember not make any assumptions but wait until the speaker finishes his message.  If the message is important, jot it down so that you can take actions later.

·        Rephrase the massage

When the speaker has finished, you can rephrase and repeat the message to the person. Not only you must get the exact message, you need to understand it as well.

·        Minimize the background noise.

Unless you are with a group of people, you can choose to stand closer to the speaker. Learn some lip reading techniques so that you can receive the message easier.

·        Listen actively

When you listen actively, you will ask intelligent questions. The speaker will immediately know that you are interested in what he/she is talking about.  

·        Acknowledge verbal and non-verbal communications

As someone is communicating to you, look out for some non-verbal language from the person. When you pay some attention at the speaker’s body language, you can interpret the speaker’s message easily.

·        Share your ideas when asked to

Sharing ideas is a form of communication. It helps to come up with more ideas to solve some problems. However, do not interrupt when someone else is talking. Always wait for your turn. Even if you have no ideas to share at the moment, do not criticize other people’s ideas.

When you are the speaker:

•     Articulate the message clearly (face to face)

As the speaker, you need to speak clearly, plainly and directly. Do not mumble. Be as natural as you can. Make your colleague(s) or listener(s) feel at ease. Do not raise your voice even if you are speaking to a group of people. Make eye contacts with your listener(s) or colleague (s).

Use a common language which your listener(s) can understand. Remember not to use ambiguous words. You are not showing off your expertise in the language! Always look at your listener(s) for responds. Acknowledge all verbal and non-verbal (body language) responses.

•     Use examples in your message

It is always helpful to expand your ideas or messages using examples. However, be straight forward and not beat around the bush.

•      Be open to suggestions

Communication is a two-way process. So, after a presentation of your idea, give your colleagues a chance to share their ideas too. Remember, do not reject or criticize ideas openly or utter any words that may disgrace your colleagues. Always look for non-verbal responses while someone is sharing his/her idea.

•       Adopt a positive attitude

As the speaker, you should speak with positive sentences. Everyone responds better to a speaker with a positive attitude. And thus the setting will become livelier. Make sure that your body language agrees with your message.

•       Your non-verbal communication is important

You may not realize that when you are talking, your listener(s) or colleague(s) are actually acknowledging your body language and facial expressions. Even when you are not in a good mood that day, be sincere and open.

•         Make a connection with your colleagues

It is important to find a common ground between you and your colleagues. They will accept you readily because of this connection. The same connection will also help you to solve many problems.

•      Build a trust with your colleagues

Trust is an important bond that will make your colleagues willing to listen to you. This trust will pave a way to many new ideas. Your colleagues will be willing to share and contribute good ideas because they trust you as their leader.

•       Eliminate background noise

As the speaker, you can minimize the background noise. Go somewhere quiet. Speak to your audience in a closed office or room. Turn off all mobile telephones for the time being. However, do not make the meeting longer than half an hour. You’ll receive all sorts of negative non-verbal responses if you take up a lot of their time.

•    Choose the best channel to communicate

When direct face to face communication is impossible, there are also other medium to choose from. You can use the telephone or the fax machine. These days, chat programs, office blogs and other message boards are used widely in offices. Make sure the message you want to send out is clear, precise and direct.

Do not forget that every staff, including your top level personnel can access the message too. Choose your words carefully. Do not try to degrade anyone in your message.   Always remind yourself not to send the same message more than once at a time. At all times, respect the receiver(s)’ need for discretion.   

So, instead of being fearful that you cannot keep your job, acquire these communication skills as soon as possible. These skills are always useful no matter where you work. Change your attitude, if needed. Nobody cares for someone who shouts and barks to get his/her messages across. Polishing up your communication skills can help you to go very far.

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