It’s difficult to define exactly what respect means, but one thing is for sure: you always know when someone respects you and when they don’t! In fact, many people feel that respect is even more important than other human emotions like love and affection. If someone loves/likes you without respecting you, you’ll always feel like there’s something missing from that relationship, whether it’s a work relationship or a personal one.
Respect: Is It Owed or Earned?
Especially when it comes to work, it’s important for a person to have the respect of his/her colleagues. They need to know that others consider them an important member of the team. On the other hand, people also say that respect has to be earned which puts the onus for getting respect on the person who wants to get it, not on the rest of the team.
So which of these two ways of understanding respect is true? Is respect something that other people owe you or is it something that has to be earned by you? The answer is: both. Respect is, in fact, a two-way street. The people around you have to be ready and willing to respect you for what you do, but you also have to do what’s needed to earn their respect.
How to Earn Respect at Work
Fortunately, it’s not that hard to earn someone’s respect. All you have to do is do your job well. If you put in the hours and get the work done, it’s very likely that the people in your office will respect you.
However, there are certain things that prevent people from respecting you. One of these is dishonesty or hypocrisy. Maybe you always show up to work on time and get all the work done. But at the same time, people suspect that you are flattering your superiors in order to get better assignments. In this case, your colleagues are less likely to respect you.
Any form of insincerity will lead to a lack of respect. Honesty is one of those traits that everyone grows up respecting. So honesty/forthrightness/straightforwardness or whatever you want to call it will always gain you more respect among your colleagues. And hiding the truth or glossing it over, even if you think it’s for the benefit of your colleagues/team members may lead into a lack of respect.
