Quotes That Teach Organizations How to Give Respect and Get Respect

How often have you heard employees complaining about the lack of respect in the workplace? According to an HBR survey conducted by Christine Porath, associate professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, and Tony Schwartz, founder of The Energy Project, business leaders need to demonstrate respect to their employees if they want better commitment and engagement in the workplace.

The survey results, as quoted in HBR in the November 2014 states: "Those that get respect from their leaders reported 56% better health and well-being, 1.72 times more trust and safety, 89% greater enjoyment and satisfaction with their jobs, 92% greater focus and prioritization, and 1.26 times more meaning and significance. Those that feel respected by their leaders were also 1.1 times more likely to stay with their organizations than those that didn’t."

Building Employee Value

Every employee needs to feel valued. That is at the core of every human interaction. It does not matter what rank, or office the person holds. It does not matter how important is the employee's role in the organization. Each individual needs to feel respected and valued. Managers who recognize and empathize with this basic human need will become great business leaders.

Tom Peters

"The simple act of paying positive attention to people has a great deal to do with productivity."

Frank Barron

"Never take a person's dignity: it is worth everything to them, and nothing to you."

Stephen R. Covey

"Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers."

Cary Grant

"Probably no greater honor can come to any man than the respect of his colleagues."

Rana Junaid Mustafa Gohar

"It is not grey hair that makes one respectable but character."

Ayn Rand

"If one doesn't respect oneself one can have neither love nor respect for others."

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R. G. Risch

"Respect is a two-way street, if you want to get it, you've got to give it."

Albert Einstein

"I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university."

Alfred Nobel

"It is not sufficient to be worthy of respect in order to be respected." 

Julia Cameron

"In limits, there is freedom. Creativity thrives within structure. Creating safe havens where our children are allowed to dream, play, make a mess and, yes, clean it up, we teach them respect for themselves and others."

Criss Jami

"When I look at a person, I see a person - not a rank, not a class, not a title."

Mark Clement

"Leaders who win the respect of others are the ones who deliver more than they promise, not the ones who promise more than they can deliver."

Muhammad Tariq Majeed

"Respect at the cost of others is disrespect in effect."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Men are respectable only as they respect. "

Cesar Chavez

"Preservation of one's own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures."

Shannon L. Alder

"A true gentleman is one that apologizes anyways, even though he has not offended a lady intentionally. He is in a class all of his own because he knows the value of a woman's heart."

Carlos Wallace

"From the moment I could even understand what 'respect' was I knew it was not a choice but the only option."

Robert Schuller

"As we grow as unique persons, we learn to respect the uniqueness of others."

John Hume

"Difference is of the essence of humanity. Difference is an accident of birth and it should therefore never be the source of hatred or conflict. The answer to difference is to respect it. Therein lies a most fundamental principle of peace - respect for diversity."

John Wooden

"Respect a man, and he will do all the more."

How Management Can Convey Respect to Employees

The culture of respect should be religiously adhered to by every person in the organization. It has to percolate from the higher management to the last person down the structure. Respect has to be proactively demonstrated, in letter and spirit. Various forms of communication and engaging social interactions can build an environment of respect for employees.

One business manager used an innovative idea to make his team feel valued. He would send out a message on their group chat every week or two on what his targets and achievements were for the week. He would also welcome suggestions and feedback on the same. This made his team sense a greater level of responsibility towards their work and would feel that their contribution had a direct bearing on their employer's success.

Another employer of a mid-size business organization would invest an hour of the day meeting up with each employee personally over lunch. In doing so, the business manager not just learned important aspects of his own organization, but he also communicated his trust and respect to each employee.