Respect and trust are the cornerstones of any relationship, especially those relationships in the workplace. Without them, productivity and talent retention take a big hit. We all deserve to be treated with respect and dignity and when we are not, it affects our on the job performance and our motivation to excel at our job.

No one goes into creating a business with the plan to stir discontent and lack of respect among the staff, but it can easily happen when you don’t make your employee’s welfare a priority.

Here are 9 ways to create a respectful workplace:

Be Inclusive in Your Hiring

One of the most important things to do is to make sure you are hiring employees from a diverse range of backgrounds. If you have HR staff doing the hiring for you, institute policies to ensure that they are always practicing inclusivity in their recruiting and hiring processes. One thing that can help with creating an inclusive work environment is to offer flexible work schedules that are more doable for employees who have families.

Practice Active Listening with Your Staff

When you actively listen to your staff, it shows them that you really care about them as an individual and that you respect their feelings and appreciate the talent they bring to the table.

Pay Your Employees What They Deserve

Lowballing on salaries instead of offering at least the standard norm will make your employees feel underappreciated and taken advantage of. While you think you may be saving your company some money, in the long run it can actually cost you more. These employees will feel no incentive to work hard for someone who doesn’t value their worth and they will quickly move on to a better job leaving you scrambling to replace them.

Bonuses either as a reward for a job well done or to help your employees with rising costs are also great ways to show your employees that you really care.

Uphold a Zero Tolerance Policy

Make sure everyone in your company understands that there is a zero tolerance policy on discrimination, bullying and sexual harassment at your company and that perpetrators will be punished accordingly. Also make sure it is clear to everyone what the process is for reporting incidents and what the investigation and ruling process is like.

Make Respect and Courtesy a Part of the Company Culture

The best way to make respect and courtesy a part of the company culture is to model it yourself and make sure all your management staff models it as well. Greet all employees by name, take an interest in their personal lives, and show them courtesy by showing up to meetings on time and making sure everyone gets to contribute to important discussions and planning. Other ways to show respect include the tone of voice you use when talking with employees, whether you look them in the eye and give them your undivided attention.

If everyone treats each other with respect and courtesy, you will create a workplace that your staff are excited to come to every morning. They will want to do their best for you and make you proud.

Empower Your Employees to Succeed

Providing your employees with plenty opportunities to learn new skills so they can be promoted within the company is the best way to empower your employees. At all successful business you will see that they take talent cultivation very seriously.

And a big part of this is giving your employees the flexibility and freedom they need to be successful. Instead of breathing over your staff making sure they clock in exactly between 9 and 5 each day and are hitting quotas, give them the flexibility to work earlier or later if a family emergency comes up or the ability to work from home. Also, everyone works a little differently so give your employees the freedom to work at their own pace as long as they get the job done well and in a practical amount of time.

Check in with Your Staff Regularly

To ensure that the importance of respect is trickling down to all parts of the company, it is always a good idea to make sure that all company communications highlight the importance of respect in the workplace and emphasize the proper ways to behave. Also send around regular climate surveys to give your employees a chance to anonymously express any frustrations or serious issues they are having.

Create Bonding Experiences for Your Staff

We all like to feel a part of the group. One way to help your staff bond better is to organize fun activities outside of work that everyone is invited to. It could be Friday happy hours, a company picnic, and special lunches out with your team. While not everyone will be able to go to everything, your employees will appreciate the thought you put into making everyone feel appreciated.

Use Workshops and Retreats to Teach Respect

Respect seems like an easy thing to practice, but a lot of times we don’t realize that our words and actions are being hurtful to someone else. Things like constantly interrupting someone or disparaging their ideas is actually bullying and needs to stop. If someone constantly flies by your desk and never says hello and talks about you behind your back, it can take a toll on you. A harsh tone of voice when making requests can also make your colleagues feel bad as well. Body language and tone of voice may be relaying a message we didn’t realize we were sending. By holding special workshops and retreats to show how negativity can leach into the workplace can be a powerful way to stop it in its tracks.

By implementing these tips consistently at your workplace, you help to ensure that everyone feels an integral part of the team. Besides this being the right thing to do, fostering a respectful workplace will help boost your productivity and is the key to the growth of any successful business.

For more information about fostering respect in your workplace and other goals for your business, contact MBB Management today. Their consultants can help move your business to the next level.