Why Being Respectful to Your Co-Workers is Good For Business

As a worker at the bakery I decide to share my personal experience and reflection on statement which says: 'being respectful to your co-workers is goog for business', here in my essay.  At my current job, there are a few examples of incivility that I see daily.

Why Does Being Respectful Play a Role at the Workplace?

To beging with, I work part time at a bakery and each shift there are 1 or 2 other girls. I start work at 6am and myself and the other cashiers are there pretty much alone until about 10:30-11. At that time, the bakery’s owner comes in and is upfront with us. She is controlling about every single thing any one does while she is there. She double checks everything you do and tells you in the meanest way possible what you are doing wrong. Something that bothers me is when someone is in the middle of doing something, she will ask them to stop what they are doing, do what she wants done, and then she gets mad that what you were doing beforehand isn’t finished. At the bakery that I work at, people will get a variety of different things. It is sometimes hard to guess what boxes or bags to put things in if you do not know everything they want to get. It sounds trivial, and in my opinion, it is, but if you do not get the exact box that she has in her mind right, you will be yelled at. Even if the box works and the customer is happy with it, she will make you take everything out of the box and repackage it in front of the customer. This is very embarrassing because she publicly shames those who do not do something exactly how she imagined. I notice that I dread going to shifts that I know she is going to be there for. If I am scheduled for a shift that she is not there for I am much happier to be going into work. A few of my coworkers have quit because of her. I have debated it myself. Every time I work with her, I feel disrespected and discredited. I have also been a witness to incivility at my current job. One of my coworkers, who got hired one day before I did, is not the nicest person. She will try to tell people what to do, most of the time that information is wrong. She doesn’t get along with another one of my coworkers and if I ever work at the same time as both of them, I know it will be stressful. Each one of them complain to me about the other. This puts me in an uncomfortable situation that I do not enjoy. Thankfully, the one who is in the wrong is quitting soon. Both of these situations however, lead to a more stressful day at work than if those people are not present. These behaviors affect all the other coworkers because we are more stressed when they are occurring. Also, these behaviors make us want to be at work less and less.

In my opinion, for the most part is true that people don’t leave their organizations, they leave their bosses. I am already looking to make a move job wise and I know that if I didn’t have these two situations of animosity, I would be more likely to stay at my job. There are circumstances that would cause people to leave their jobs that aren’t because of their bosses. These can include a better job offer, relocation, or other reasons. There are many reasons someone could quit their job but if they have a toxic work environment, other options will definitely make leaving more attractive. A toxic work environment can lead you to an overall unhappy lifestyle. Toxicity in the work place can lead you to look for better options no matter how much you love the organization that you work for.

What I Would Do as a Leader of This Business?

If I was a leader in a major organization, I would put in place rules to lead to a better work environment. A better work environment leads to a healthy relationship between employers and employees. I think rules that focus on positive reinforcement rather than negative would be better for a healthy work environment. Rather than saying that an employee can’t do something, it is important to focus on what they can do. For example, one rule I would put in place is to respect everyone in the work environment. No matter how large or small their role is, they matter to the organization and they should be treated as such.

I would emphasize the importance of learning people’s names. Someone simply knowing a person’s name can make them feel important even if all that is known about them is their name. This can add to the feeling of being important to the company because if an employee feels as if they blend into the background, they most likely will feel as if the work they are doing is not making a difference in the company. I would also focus on cell phones in the work place. While I wouldn’t tell employees to not use their phones, I would remind them that it is disrespectful to be on the phone while someone is trying to have a conversation. This applies to both in professional settings and just in general. Something else I would try to put in place, is to focus on things other than work occasionally. While it is not a good idea to be unproductive, taking the time to destress can decrease the chance of having coworkers not get annoyed with each other because they can bond over things that are unrelated to the organization. Some of these things could include breakfasts, work parties, and other things that will not take up a lot of the work day but will take some stress away from the average worker. I would also encourage those who are having issues to step forward. It would be somewhat hard to regulate this system without people taking advantage and using the system for personal gain instead of what it is meant for but, if employees felt like they had a safe space to turn to if they felt that they were in a toxic environment. I would also not expect perfection from those in the organization. There is a difference between messing up occasionally and being a complete slacker. However, I believe that by expecting perfection employees are destined to be in a toxic environment because they will be too scared to ask questions and will be more stressed, which could lead to some lashing out on others.

Final Thoughts on the Topic

Focusing on positive regulation rather than negative reinforcement works better in my opinion. Negative reinforcement can be hard to put in to place with having employees push back on those policies, especially if they do not agree with them. There are many ways for being more respectful with your co-workers which can change your work environment in a positve way. Beginning with yourself you can show an example of respectful and healthy relationships between workers as well as implement changes at the workplace.