This article explained that owed and earned respect in the workplace is important and beneficial for work performance and personal and professional development. The author, Rogers, justified that it is crucial to maintain an appropriate balance of owed and earned respect after studying the business structure and work relationships in Telervade. The author claimed that there is a general lack of workplace respect and high-status workers take respect for granted. Additionally, leaders have insufficient knowledge of what constitutes workplace respect. Rogers then suggested seven ways that leaders and managers can adopt and apply to convey respect in the workplace such as creating a basic standard of owed respect and ways of transmitting respect.
Workers’ perceptions of respect in the workplace may differ from just owed and earned respect. Other components of respect include workers’ perceptions of interactional justice, empowerment, fair salary and benefits, adequate staffing, support, and recognition. (Augsberger, A., Schudrich, W., Mcgowan, B., & Auerbach, C. (2012)). These perceptions of respect are associated to organizational culture, and perceived organizational support such as fairness in distribution of resources, adequate staffing and autonomy in work, can positively impact employee’s loyalty to the company and work satisfaction.
Apart from respect in the workplace being an important feedback mechanism for professional and personal growth, actual career advancement opportunities are what employees look for in a job which will likely ensure employee retention and loyalty (Schnidman,2015). In a survey done by Linkedin(2015), 36% of people left their old job due to unsatisfaction of work environment, in which respect plays a crucial role. On the other hand, 45% left due to concerns about lack of career advancement opportunities, such as skill-based trainings and gradual increase in workload and responsibilities. Hence, respect is may not be the main driver for professional growth.
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Lastly, aside from the 7 subtle but important ways that respect can be conveyed in the workplace, HR policies and formal changes can be implemented to ensure a mutually respectful environment at work. It is imperative that employees make it clear that they will not tolerate uncivil behaviour in the team, and then be prepared to take action (Lamson, 2018). For example, employees should be encouraged to share their frustration with the management when they experience rude behaviour through email correspondence or phone calls or video. Disciplinary action such as hearings, suspension or dismissal should be carried out to prevent negative behaviours from spreading.
Firstly, Roger’s evidences for the 7 methods considered different work environments, culture and work relationship however, the situations are not generalisable to all work context. For instance, in the military, higher ranking officers expect respect because they have legitimate power No matter how poorly the leader is viewed by the subordinates, they are still expected to show respect and act accordingly (Essays, 2018). Hence, military leaders might not be inclined to convey owed respect via active listening or give their subordinates the discretion to exercise their creative ideas as it might undermine their legitimate power in the military.
Secondly, the McKinsey global survey that proves motivation is impacted by praise attention and opportunities from leaders rather than monetary rewards do not show how leaders could customize and balance owed and earned respect in the workplace according to organisational goals. The survey is conducted globally, where companies have different organisational goals and culture and hence, the balance of different respect is different in each setting. Therefore, the evidence provided was not precise in advising how leaders can customise levels of respect.
The author, Ashforth and Corley’s findings that presence of respect at work validates trial behaviours, encourages employees to pick up good work behaviours and cements personal growth is about organizational respect and positive identity transformation in the prison context only. The evidence that respect is a catalyst for growth might not be relevant in the general context as typical work environments outside prison is be very different. For instance, corporate work environments might not share the same discipline and rule of conduct that the inmates, or employees in prison, experience and abide by. For the prisoners, respect can be a novel experience and hence, motivate their growth. Additionally, other perspectives claim that effective coaching and mentoring programmes are the key to employee growth (Sketch, 2001). Coaching and mentoring can be useful tools to help employees achieve corporate goals including enhanced productivity and employee retention as well as personal growth.
Firstly, Rogers assumed a correlation between Costco’s achievement as “America’s favourite retailer” and America’s best large employer. She implied that the culture of respect present in Costco is the reason for the title of best employer and further assumed that Costco is claimed as favourite retailer because customers are treated with respect, as a result of to the ripple effect.
These assumptions and claims were not supported. In fact, customer satisfaction can be measured by product quality, value and effective use of technology in ecommerce, apart from good customer service. (Morgan, 2019). Moreover, according to Forbes (Roedel, 2017), one of Costco’s most significant employee benefits is that it offers health insurance coverage to its workers as well as an average wage of $21 per hour. Hence, being the “best” employer can be attributed to good paychecks and welfare apart from a respectful workplace culture.
Secondly, Rogers assumed that respect in the workplace is the sole reason for work satisfaction and loyalty to the company. Apart for situational factors, role perception, and motivation are important factors that affect workplace satisfaction (Brachmann, 2016). Employees who perceive that they have discretion in their work are more likely to be motivated to perform better in the organisation due to improved work satisfaction.
It is crucial that leaders can set an example and demonstrate acceptable behaviours and attitudes for employees to follow. Respect must be mutual for work relationships to be positive and behaviours of respect are not limited to the leaders in the organisation.
Aside from improving work satisfaction, productivity and reducing stress, respect in the workplace can have a positive snowball effect on customers since satisfied employees results in better customer service.
To create an organisational culture based on respect, it is crucial to educate leaders on different types of respect and the importance of each in the workplace. With better understanding, they can assess and adjust their behaviours that can likely impact the company culture positively and further align the workforce towards the company goals and objectives.
References
- Augsberger, A., Schudrich, W., Mcgowan, B., & Auerbach, C. (2012). Respect in the workplace: A mixed methods study of retention and turnover in the voluntary child welfare sector. Children and Youth Services Review, 34(7), 1222–1229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.02.016
- Brachmann, S. (2016, October 26). Perception & Motivation in Organizational Behavior. Retrieved from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/perception-motivation-organizational-behavior-13609.html
- Essays, UK. (November 2018). The Respect For Military Authority Philosophy Essay. Retrieved from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/philosophy/the-respect-for-military-authority-philosophy-essay.php?vref=1
- Schnidman, A. (2015, August 5). New Research Reveals the Real Reason People Switch Jobs (and It isn’t Money or Their Boss). Retrieved from https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/2015/08/new-research-reveals-the-real-reason-people-switch-jobs-and-it-isnt-money-or-their-boss
- Lamson, M. (2018, July 19). Squelch Disrespectful Behavior at Work Before It Spreads. Retrieved from https://www.inc.com/melissa-lamson/managers-squelch-disrespectful-behavior-fast.html
- Morgan, B. (2019, February 28). Costco Takes Top Spot In Online Customer Satisfaction Over Amazon. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakemorgan/2019/02/27/costco-takes-top-spot-in-online-customer-satisfaction-over-amazon/#54786a5049a7
- Roedel, K. (2017, May 10). Forbes study finds Costco as America’s best employer for 2017. Retrieved from https://mynews4.com/news/local/forbes-study-finds-costco-americas-best-employer-for-2017
- Sketch, E. (2001). Mentoring & coaching help employees grow. HR Focus, 78(9), 1,11+. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/206791731
