Paper Example on Respect in Workplace

Introduction

Respect amongst employees is crucial for the wellbeing of an organization. With respect, employees have admiration and regard for each other and believe that each person has qualities and capabilities that are worthy. Feeling respected brings awareness that an employee's contribution to the organization is appreciated and recognized. An employee can show respect to co-workers by respecting space and time in the workplace, staying professional, participating in team initiatives and empathizing with co-workers.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

One way of showing respect to employees is to respect space and time in the workplace. This can be achieved by avoiding monopolization of time with gossip and cheap talking (Vulcan, 2018). It is important to prevent poking nose into employee's issues and not to interrupt when they are on the phone or with a client. A shared workplace should further be kept clean and functional looking. While it is important to look decent and smart, the strong scent should be avoided in the workplace. Most importantly, noise should be prevented by not talking loudly, not eating food randomly, humming or allowing music to interfere with others in the workplace.

Staying professional in the workplace is another way of showing respect and regard to employees. Professionalism ensures that personal life does not inappropriately interfere with work. This can be achieved by refraining from giving nicknames to employees or nicknames, avoiding physical contact that suggests intimacy and misconstrued intentions. It is also important to talk nicely to employees without placing them in subservient roles. Misunderstanding should be handled professionally. The problem should not be dealt with publicly through confrontation. Instead, it is important to let colleagues know how valuable the working relationship is and when the problem persists, supervisors should be called in to assist.

Participating in team initiatives is an excellent way of showing respect to employees. Contributing to the work team and becoming part of shared goals is enough to show of respect for work and colleagues. This means committing to discussions and debates in the workplace, sharing credit, supporting those on leadership roles as well as acknowledging unique ideas and achievements (Melanie, 2015). Acknowledging and praising co-worker for doing something excellent makes them feel appreciated and competent. Parsing them make them know that their job is appreciated. However, praise should focus on job-related issues and not personal things like their looks.

Another effective way of showing respect for employees is to empathize with them. Empathy refers to the ability to experience and relate to the feelings, emotions, and experiences of others. It is the ability to step into people's shoes and show awareness of their beliefs and needs. It is easy to respect people when you can empathize with them. Empathy drives connection and provides a way of avoiding hurting people. Taking responsibility of one's mess, greeting people, assisting when help is needed, giving people their space and being kind are enough efforts of showing respect.

Conclusion

Employees may have a different cultural background that creates diversity in the workplace. It helps a great deal to learn something about the cultural and religious beliefs of colleagues in the workplace to avoid offending them unintentionally. Beliefs and values vary form co-work to the co-worker and form an open religion to another. The first step of showing respect is to understand something about other's culture and values in an open and friendly manner. Asking questions as well as conducting research to understand their culture can lead to more understanding and respect.

References

Melanie Sklarz (2015). Five Tips for Respectful Interaction in the Workplace. Legacy Business Culture. Retrieved from: http://legacycultures.com/five-tips-for-respectful-interaction-in-the-workplace/

Vulcan, Nicole (2018). How to Treat People with Respect in the Workplace. Retrieved from: https://woman.thenest.com/treat-people-respect-workplace-5795.html