Respect is the way of treating someone with deep admiration and appreciation for their abilities, qualities and achievements and acknowledging them that they are someone of value to us. Respect at workplace among colleagues/ employer / employees can be demonstrated in different ways.

Demonstrating respect to one another helps one feel good and creates a positive environment around us. Hence, demonstrating respect at workplace is extremely important to create a healthy working environment.

Respect is something which is exchanged. If we give respect, we get respect. An effective communication is the best way to show respect towards one another in workplace. Frequent exchange of ideas, discussion on problems and working together to find the solution of problems related to work and organization builds trust among the employees.  Besides, there are various other factors related to communication which helps to show respect towards one another. It can be demonstrated in various forms such as tone of voice, expressions, body language, hand gestures, choice of words etc.

Some of the ways of demonstrating respect at workplace are discussed below:

  • Smile
  • Right tone of voice
  • Asking for ideas
  • Sharing credit for work accomplished
  • Praise/ feedback for good work

Smile:

Starting the work day with exchange of greetings to one another with a beautiful smile on face is the best way to start the day. A simple smile and greetings can flow positive energies in the work environment and makes us ready to head towards rest of the day.

Right tone of voice:

In order to make ourselves sound respectful towards the person we are communicating with, it is very important for us to use the right tone of voice. While doing so, we further need to take care of other factors such as volume, speed, calmness and confidence of our voice. We also need to make sure that the language and para language we use during communication avoids the ambiguity.

The wrong tone of voice such as raising voice frequently, shouting at employees / colleagues may lead to loss of respect towards one another that might get to the extent of employee demotivation and job dissatisfaction at some point of time.

Asking for ideas:

We all go through different circumstances while working. At times, we may encounter some problems at work or seek for better ways of doing them. In such situations, it’s always a good way out to ask for ideas from colleagues/ employees, listen to them thoroughly and apply their ideas for the betterment of work with necessary modifications. This help the employee feel valued and respected.

Listening to their ideas carefully and patiently without any interruption or giving constructive criticisms in the end when they have finished expressing their point of view can add to make them feel respected.

Sharing  credit for work accomplished :

Any organization is a result of team work. Sharing and acknowledgement of credit to one another when a certain target is achieved strengthen the relation and increase mutual respect and bonding among the employees.

Praise/ feedback to work:

A motivated employee always seeks for feedback to their work done. They either seek for continuous improvement through constructive criticism or like being praised when they do their job right.

Simple gestures such as saying “Thank you”, “Well done”, touch such as pat on the back and firm handshake, etc. can be used to praise the employee/ colleague for their performance or achievement.  This is also one of the way of sharing respect among employees or colleagues.

Hence, respect is a gesture of showing appreciation and admiration towards the other person for the value they bring with them. Demonstration of respect at workplace is extremely important as it creates warmth in employee relationship and creates a positive working environment.

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