Every boss wants the atmosphere in his company to be good and the work to be efficient.
This requires mutual respect between employees.
Its development can be labor-intensive, but it is enough to follow a few rules that can make this task easier.
How to Win the Respect of Your Employees
What makes us gain the respect of our employees? What rules should we follow? We present 10 behavior patterns that can make this task easier and examples that show how easy it is to lose recognition in the eyes of employees.
Clear expectations for employees
To gain the respect of your employees, it is worthwhile to clearly state the requirements for them. They want to know what their role is in the company's strategy, how important and necessary they are - this motivates them to work hard.
Example 1
The manager assigned important tasks to several employees. They required time and work. However, they were not properly motivated to work because they did not know how these duties fit into the company strategy. Despite being in this position for many months, the manager never shared it with the employees. They do not know what to expect or where they fit into the company.
Specific goal
Employees want to know why they are doing a particular task, for what purpose, what the employer is striving for, and what benefit it will bring to the company.
If they know why a project is the way it is and what their goal is, their commitment to the tasks assigned to them increases. Therefore, they appreciate the boss for giving them a clearly defined business goal.
Example 2
A manager has assigned several employees to a new project. Although the tasks are challenging, the employees do not fully understand what the purpose of their responsibilities is. Therefore, they do not contribute to the work as much as they should because it is not defined, and they become confused.
Effective information flow
Employees do not feel confident and comfortable in a company where they are not informed about anything.
We are talking about both seemingly trivial things, such as employee integration, and serious ones, such as the state of the company.
When the boss is honest with them, they feel more belonging to the company, so they identify more with it and work as if it were their own business.
Example 3
Mr. Petrov came to work on Monday morning and noticed that all the employees were talking about the same event. It turned out that there was a corporate party on Saturday, which the boss forgot to tell him about. The man is disappointed and would like to leave the workplace, where everyone is talking about something he did not participate in.
Example 4
Salary payments are delayed. Employees have always received their salaries on the 8th of the month, but the middle of the month is approaching. No one knows anything, rumors of bankruptcy are circulating around the company, and the boss has not come to the office. No one is working, general chaos, low motivation to complete tasks.
Recognition and constructive criticism
Every employee wants to be praised for doing a good job. It is a powerful motivator.
So if the boss notices this fact and expresses gratitude for the employee’s merits and work, then he will definitely gain respect in his eyes.
The same goes for criticism. An employee usually appreciates specifics, not only does he want to know what he did wrong - that's not enough, he wants to know the probable reasons for the failure in the area that he needs to work on.
Example 5
An employee was entrusted with an important and complex project. He handled it brilliantly and additionally attracted new clients. The boss doesn't seem to notice.
The employee feels that his efforts were in vain and decides not to take on more than average tasks.
Respect and culture of employees and self-control.
A calm boss who keeps his nerves under control and treats everyone in a civilized manner immediately inspires great respect and, at the same time, trust in his employees.
Employees are not afraid of abuse, they are not afraid of questions, doubts and conversations. They feel that they can talk to their manager about the problem they are facing and will not receive a stream of bitter words in response.
Example 6
An employee makes a mistake. He manages to correct it, but the boss does not spare bitter words for him. He raises his voice and tells the room full of employees that anyone who makes such a mistake is just a fool. The employee is depressed, discouraged, and thinks about changing jobs.
Punctuality
We often respect those who respect us. So if a boss always tries to be punctual, attend meetings and doesn't want anyone to wait for him, the respect of his employees will definitely increase.
Clear articulation of thoughts
Employees want a clear message. Then they know what the boss expects from them, what they have to do and are not afraid that after completing the tasks it will turn out that everything was done not as it should have appeared in the eyes of the boss, who did not clarify his thoughts.
Example 7
Employee Semyon was assigned a task, but the boss did not voice the requirements for its implementation. After the project was completed and handed over to the boss, Semyon was criticized for not using methodological recommendations that simply did not exist.
Highest competence
A boss is a person who is expected to be highly competent in his or her field and to continuously learn. It is useful for employees to have the right belief that when they cannot cope with something, the boss will be able to help them.
Reliability
Actions must go hand in hand with words. If we promise something to employees, we must keep our word. When it turns out that something is completely impossible, we should explain in advance why this happened.
Example 8
The employees were assured that if they succeeded in attracting new clients, they would all receive discretionary bonuses. Although the task was carried out in an exemplary manner, it seems that the boss forgot about this additional reward. The employees are discouraged and assure that next time they will not waste so much time and effort on empty promises.
Equal treatment
Playing favorites and praising them at every opportunity, even when they clearly do not deserve it, is very frowned upon by other employees. Then they are convinced that there is no need to try, because someone else will still collect all the laurels. If we care about the respect of employees, we must treat everyone equally.
Example 9
Two employees were working on the same project. It was done very well, the employees were praised. By chance, one of them found out that the other employee received a bonus on this account only because he was the boss's favorite from the very beginning of his stay in the company.
Don't take credit for other people's work
It can often happen that an employee will have an idea that will certainly improve the work of the entire company, and which we have not thought of before. In such a situation, it is worth praising the employee's creativity and telling others who is the author of the solution. Taking credit for someone else's work will not make employees respect us - on the contrary.
Example 10
At a private meeting, employee Sergei shared some ideas with his boss to improve the company's performance. The boss seems unhappy with the ideas.
However, just a few days later, he calls a meeting where he presents Sergey's ideas, beginning his speech with the words: "I have thought about the situation in the company and have come up with several ideas to improve our operations." Sergey is disappointed and loses motivation to continue presenting ideas.
Earlier I told you about 7 questions you should never ask an employer during an interview.
