For a healthy work environment, mutual respect is crucial. It is successful when everyone from executive to entry-level is committed. Respectful behavior is intuitive to several employees, but many people need a reminder to show their respectful instincts. 

To gain respect from others you need to give respect first. This is one of the basic philosophies of Shawn Finnegan Coming from Utah. You can read about the other two business-winning principles on Udel Instructure Blog. Respect makes one feel esteemed and admired. In the workplace, it promotes collaboration and teamwork, which increases efficiency and productivity.

When employees receive respect for their qualities, abilities, and achievements in the business success they feel valued and appreciated. They become loyal, satisfied, and stay motivated to give their best performance. People who are not polite are a risk to workplace health. 

What is the definition of respect in a company?

Treat everyone in a way you desire to be treated, i.e. with respect. Just like you, your colleagues and management have rights, wishes, opinions, competence, and experience. They too make mistakes and learn from them. They have the same insecurities and concerns as well as share a common goal to complete the project successfully. 

Respectful and professional company culture nurtures a healthy work environment, which encourages business productivity and growth. The knowledge that employees are respected and valued for their creativity and role within the business drives everyone to work committedly.

How to regulate respect in the workplace?

You can identify respect in someone’s tone, nonverbal communication as well as how you are addressed. You can even determine by how the supervisor or co-worker listens and asks questions to ensure they understood your viewpoint.

How your superiors, co-workers, and organization treats you is also a way to judge respect. It is obvious how the company establishes and introduces new policies as well as how they recompense, recognize, and incentivize you. 

You can even determine respect by how often co-workers consult you or ask your opinion or delegate meaningful assignments. 

How to demonstrate respect in the workplace?

Here are some examples of how to demonstrate politeness and courtesy.

• Encourage colleagues to voice their ideas and opinions.
• Treat people with kindness, politeness, and courteousness. 
• Listen carefully before venting your opinion. Never interrupt the person and stop forming responses and rebuttals in your mind but stay focused on listening.
• Use a colleague’s idea to improve the task and even share it with everyone for the encouragement.
• Never insult, or belittle co-workers or their ideas, and never ridicule or use name-calling. 
• Never judge, demean, criticize, or patronize co-workers. A Series of trivial actions add up over time and is called bullying.
• Enhance your capability to communicate with supervisors and co-workers based on awareness and your expressive intelligence. It relates to better understanding and empathy.
• Be conscious about your voice toning, body language, attitude, and expressions, while communicating at work.
• Treat employees equally and fairly. Treating in a biased way reveals discrimination and harassment. 
• Every employee cannot participate in discussions, meetings, events, and training but never leave out a single person. Give everyone an equal opportunity. 

Praise employees more frequently and even encourage supervisors to do so!