Disrespect is a poor behavior that will spread through your workplace if it’s not checked. Even generally kind employees may do something that may be perceived as disrespectful. This can cause other employees to behave disrespectful in turn, even though it was a simple misunderstanding. The good news is that there are ways to discourage disrespect in your workplace. Here are some of them:
Create Clear Expectations
Having a clear expectation for your employees’ behavior can eliminate most of the grey area where disrespect can occur. Set up disrespect policies with specific guidelines. In addition, make your expectations clear in performance reviews and one-on-one meetings with your employees. Make sure to enforce the rules you’ve created.
Cultivate a Supportive Culture
Create ways for employees to share concerns. You can use anonymous platforms or a suggestion box. Always take time to listen to feedback and investigate concerns. This will make your employees more trusting of you, and more likely to express concerns later on. Also, make sure that when an employee is upset, they are not ignored. Ignoring your employees emotions will not make them go away, and in some cases, can make them worse. Take time to address issues and make sure your employees have the care they need.
Encourage Positive Conversation
Not only can insults be detrimental, but rumors can cause frustration for employees as well. Try to encourage employees to speak kindly about each other. If a conversation is starting to turn negative, turn it back to positive topics. Reward employees for being positive.
Promote Emotional Awareness
If employees understand their own emotions, they can learn to better control them. Help employees to better understand themselves. You can try using personality tests or mindfulness programs to help improve employee emotional awareness.
Making your workplace more positive and kind can help increase employee productivity and motivation. Try implementing these action items in your company today.