Do Your
Employee's Respect You?
Employees have clear
expectations of what they should receive from
their leadership, and they will only respect you
if you deliver it.
In the old days, respect for leaders was a
given. It came with the title. Supervisors were
respected because they were supervisors.
Managers were called Mr. or Mrs. with their last
names. Today, managers do not automatically
receive respect from those they supervise.
Employees have clear expectations of what they
should receive from their leadership, and they
will only respect you if you deliver it. If they
don't get what they believe they are entitled
to, they can make your position as a leader or
manager difficult. Here are a few of the most
common requests from employees.
- “Don't treat me like
a mushroom. Give me the big picture,
something more to go on.” - Many employees
know their own duties well but feel lost
within the organization. They want to
contribute in a meaningful, positive way to
the organization's goals, but they don't
fully understand what those goals are. They
feel like cogs in a wheel. Many employers
give employees only enough training and
information to do their jobs. This is fine
for a temporary worker who will only be on
site a few weeks, but not for employees you
wish to retain. Employees respect leaders
who make them feel a part of the company by
giving them more information, rather than
less. Giving employees minimal information
deprives them of the opportunity to
contribute enthusiastically to the big
picture.
- “Show an
interest in my individual development.” -
Recent studies have shown that on-the-job
learning opportunities keep employees
interested in their jobs. In addition,
growth or individual development plans help
employees stay focused and committed.
Managers can earn trust and respect by
listening to employees and showing an
interest in their individual concerns and
development needs. Regularly sitting down
with each employee to talk about their
career develops better relationships and
increases retention. Retaining employees who
are interested in their work and continually
improving their skills translates to savings
and increased productivity for the company.
- “Have the integrity
to hold everyone accountable.” - Allowing
slackers to slack, playing favorites, or not
admitting a mistake destroy employee morale
as well as respect for a leader. Managers
who address performance issues and problems
squarely are respected as strong leaders
with clear vision. Managers who allow poor
performance to continue, or who won’t deal
with problems fairly and objectively,
generate dissatisfaction on every level.
It’s not inspiring to work hard when a
coworker slacks off and gets the same, or
even higher, pay. A good leader holds
everyone, even himself, to the same
standards. It's a question of equality.
- “Once in a while, get
into the trenches with us.” - It may sound
incredible, but some managers don’t know
what the people they manage actually do. In
one case, the manager was asked what the
employees she supervised did and she said,
“They greet the public and file paperwork.
It's simple.” The manager had never done the
job herself. She had no idea of how to
evaluate their complaints or needs. She had
never experienced an eight-hour shift
standing behind the counter, brief 30-minute
lunch periods, and dealing with the public
and paperwork all day long. She knew nothing
of their world. She lived in a different
world from them and the employees did not
respect her as a manger. If she had taken
the time to spend half a day once in a while
with them, her perspective of the job would
have changed greatly. The employees’
perspective of her would have changed, too.
- “Be human.” - An
employer cannot afford to forget that
employees have a life outside of work. In
fact, that life outside of work is a primary
motivation for working in the first place.
Sometimes a person’s personal life presents
difficult challenges. A manager who shows
compassion, listens, and makes reasonable
allowances for employees to tend to crucial
personal matters is well respected by
employees. Although a manager is not a
counselor, and must keep the goals of the
work unit clear, if he is flexible enough to
help employees make it through the rough
times, he is well regarded.
Everyone wants to be
respected. We all want people to trust us and
believe what we say. If you want to ensure that
your staff has genuine respect for you, consider
these five requests as a starting point. Also,
recognize their accomplishments and you’ll be
well rewarded for your efforts.
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