Respectfulness is, sadly, becoming more of a rare commodity these days. But it remains to be one of the traits that supervisors are looking for to indicate whether an employee has a strong work ethic or not.
Using proper etiquette is basic for humans, which is why it is valued greatly in the workplace. Even a slightest shift away from proper etiquette can potentially destroy a relationship that has been cultivated and nurtured for a very long time.
What if you are under too much pressure? Does that not give you a bit of a leeway, so you can use it as an excuse to be rude or let your temper fly?
In the workplace, there should be no excuse to be disrespectful to other people, whether it is with a peer or a subordinate. Tight deadlines? Impossible demands from impossible clients? They’re part and parcel of a regular “day at the workplace”. Therefore, you should not let your temper get the better of you.
Stay calm and poised. Good and rational decisions are harder to come by if anger is clouding your judgment. If you show that you are frazzled, this will also fluster the others, and soon you’ll be dealing with a roomful of panicking and co-workers.
Be diplomatic. Choose your words carefully, and be careful not to offend others. Even a misplaced word here and there can potentially lead to a blowout, which you’d definitely want to avoid as much as possible.
Listen to others’ opinions. Even if you might not 100% agree with them in the end, giving them time to voice out their opinions and listening to them is already a sign of respect. Besides, you may just find solutions in those opinions.
Avoid gossiping and harmful talk about, and against, others. Idle chit-chat is unavoidable at the workplace, but there is a difference between chatting idly about this and that, and gossiping maliciously about other people. This can potentially blow up and lead to conflicts and even bigger problems. Negative talks will definitely affect teamwork if it’s not avoided.
Show fair treatment to others. If you are in a supervisory position, you might not be aware that you are favoring one worker over the others. If you are dealing with clients, you might be showing a bias toward one client while acting passively toward others. This inequity is an indication that you may have a skewed judgment, especially when it comes to dealing with bigger issues.
Demonstrate grace under pressure, and you can definitely convince your boss that you have a work ethic strong enough to merit further notice during promotions to higher positions.