RESPECT

RESPECT

… when one takes a look at the definition of this word, it becomes clearer of why what happens in some companies is a total lack of respect for their employees.

Respect involves thinking & doing.

Therefore, with the doing part in mind …. It becomes obvious that respect in any employer/employee relationship is either there or not.

Amazingly enough, in order to get respect, one has to give it. Regarding this chicken or egg thing, I am not certain which one should come first. But it is a 2-way street.

I work for my current company for several reasons.

One of which of course as most of do is because I am attempting to make a living (pay my bills). It is my belief upon making an arrangement with my employer, that they will pay a fair wage & that there is work there to make it possible to pay a fair wage.

Another reason is that I enjoy the nature of the activity & the challenge which is involved (working with people & customer service.)

I like the people (my peers) that I work with.

Focusing on the first reason above, “Fair Wage”. I (personally) work to make a living. So in spite of all else, if I can make a living doing what I’m doing then I can get through most things (workplace violence … physical or verbal, excepted) suitably. I positively correlate pay with respect.

If a company values their people, then from my perspective they can & should show it at the very least by how they are paid & how that pay is calculated.

If profits of the company are remaining steady regardless of the discounts they are giving & the company is balancing that steady profit stream on the backs of the employee, it is intrinsically disrespectful to do so. Insult to injury is when they force the employee to do the job without giving a say so in the process & the expectation is that they should simply do the job for less pay because as some employers are happy to say “You just be thankful you have a job.”

There are numerous ways in which this plays out & they all point in the same direction … Lack of Respect for the Employee.

To quote “Buddha”, (FYI, I’ve always wanted to quote him LOL), “When you like a flower you just pluck it. But when you love a flower, you water it daily.” Translating that into employer/employee speak ….

If you have respect (love) for your employees, you value & nurture them because they are important … One of the ways to do that is:

Pay them fairly & what they are worth.

I recall complementing a employee that helped me with a few things to upper management & suggested the following … “He’s a keeper & you should pay him whatever it takes to keep him happy & here.”

RESPECT