Just like Aretha sang in her iconic song, we at YES! Your Human Resources Solution are about to tell you what R‑E‑S‑P‑E‑C‑T means to us here in the business world.

Respectful professional behavior always includes:

• Showing kindness and courtesy;
• Treating everyone the same, regardless of race, religion, gender, physical appearance, and so forth;
• Listening without speaking over or cutting off another speaker;
• Refraining from disparaging people or their ideas; and
• Criticizing and praising appropriately.

Basic, you’d think, but research has shown that Americans see disrespectful behavior as a problem that is getting worse.  That means someone didn’t get the memo about what R‑E‑S‑P‑E‑C‑T means to their coworkers—and that means trouble.  The best place to show how disrespectful behavior causes trouble for a company is to describe what happens in an office that lacks respect in its employee relationships.

Lack of respect can be bred from many areas of the workplace, but a repeat offender is the office rumor mill.  Employees who don’t respect each other are more apt to badmouth or spread rumors about their less-liked colleagues, and we’ve all seen how office rumors can spread like a medieval plague.  Not only are rumors distracting, they also lower morale and spread negativity, and infect employee communications.  Employees who don’t respect each other often don’t want to talk or share information (especially if they’re the subject of a nasty rumor), which can lead to tense exchanges and breakdowns in communicating important information across the company.  Lack of respect can quickly poison an office environment, impacting every stage from recruitment to retention, and leading to a pileup of work at the HR desk.  So to avoid this unfortunate epidemic, how can respect be introduced to the workplace, or even taught?

A good place to start reintroducing respect is to set company policies that define and demand respectful behavior.  The employee handbook, for instance, is a great place to remind coworkers of the professional behavior that is expected of them, through a section devoted to the company’s code of conduct.  Employees who acknowledge receipt and understanding of the handbook can then be held accountable to this standard.

For employees who need more help understanding and applying respectful behavior, training seminars are an excellent option.  Topics can include cultural awareness, diversity, and teamwork.  Seminars should focus on the importance of respect between coworkers, and how a lack of respect affects the company as a whole.  This education allows employees to overcome misconceptions that may have been driving their lack of respect.

It’s also important to remember that respect breeds more respect.  Regularly set a good example by demonstrating respectful behavior above and beyond the daily courtesies.  Others will follow!