The respect

Workplace Culture and Employee Retention

April 6, 2017

The respect

Undisputed fundamental value, yet the world still suffers from many manifestations of lack of respect. How is it that respect still causes so much ink to flow today? What if you yourself were disrespectful to your employees, without realizing it?

Respect at work: 3 forms under study.

Although we could expand on the subject, we would like to draw your attention to 3 forms of respect that employees intrinsically expect and yet are not always there. ’employer’s agenda…

  1. Respect for being considered

We told you about it during over the last two weeks, employees want us to recognize their so-called normal work, that is to say their contribution to achieving objectives. They want to be respected for their skills, expertise and judgment. Employee surveys often show that employees would like to be considered in decisions that affect their work. Ask yourself: could I consult them more the next time, out of respect for their opinion and their knowledge?

  1. The respect for balance

Then employees want you to respect their right to have a private life outside of normal working hours, respecting the schedule and workload you agreed on. Employees don’t like feeling bad about leaving work after a good, productive day, just because others are staying later. Remember to swallow your comment if you have the urge to ask “are you leaving already?” to a hardworking employee who leaves at 5:02 p.m. that day…

  1. The respect for knowledge

Finally, employees hate not knowing where they are going. Being kept away from the company’s results, its strategic directions, its priorities and its future actions creates uncertainties and breakdowns of trust between employer and employee. To help you, here is a list of verbs to use to strengthen your organizational communication: address, guide, listen, integrate, negotiate, debate, consult, consider… the list is long and that’s good! Speak to yourself!

And then? Fault confessed half forgiven according to the saying. Do you recognize yourself in these banal examples which nevertheless create discomfort and staff turnover in organizations?

Portrait of the author

Julie Tardif, CPHR

Chief Commercial Officer, Co‑Founder & Partner
Speaker & Certified Trainer
Human Resources Consultant

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