Whether you work for a small company or a large one, whether you are in management or an entry-level position, gaining the respect of your coworkers is a smart career move. In today’s competitive job market, looking ahead and planning a career path is essential. Following that path requires respect from your coworkers.
These tips will help you gain more respect at work:
1. Take responsibility for your actions. No matter what happens, take responsibility for your actions – both good and bad. It’s okay to point out when you do something good. However, don’t spend all your time bragging about yourself. It's just as important to acknowledge when you might have acted wrongly.
If you feel that your actions resulted in negative consequences for someone, always make amend and ask if you can help repair the situation.
2. Avoid taking things out on coworkers. One of the traits of well-respected people is the ability to control their emotions and attitudes. As you go through your workday, there will be situations that annoy and frustrate you. Make sure you don’t vent your frustrations on people who don’t deserve it.
Treating people fairly reflects well on you. If you have a problem with a coworker, address the problem in a private area or office. Avoid humiliating a coworker in front of others.
3. Remain calm. The truth is you’ll get bad news from time to time at work. When you receive bad news, first think about the way you should respond so you can react appropriately.
Shouting and losing your cool are the worst things you can do. Instead, remain calm and gather all the information you need to handle the situation in a composed manner.
Take a moment to cool down by going for a walk, getting some coffee, or even just sitting in your car for a few minutes. Once the news has sunk in, then take the steps needed to get the matter resolved.
Remaining calm on the job is essential to gaining the respect of your coworkers.
4. Give quality information. When you want to advance your career, resist the urge to listen to office gossip. There’s a lot to be said for an office environment that has an open door policy, but that same policy may also make it difficult to discern correct information from false.
Don't relay gossip. Only pass on information if you know the information is reliable, truthful and necessary for someone else to know about.
Avoid talking about coworkers’ personal lives, especially if you’ve been told information in confidence. Remember, if a person was standing in front of you and you wouldn’t say something directly to them, then don’t say it behind their back.
5. Give credit where credit is due. When other people have done a good job, make sure to tell them so. Take the time to speak well of them to others. Aside from making people feel good about themselves, you’ll soon realize that speaking highly of others will also work wonders for bringing respect to you, too!
Giving credit to your coworkers is honest, fair and it gains you respect. This quality is one of the attributes shared by great leaders.
At the end of the day, the most important way to gain respect in the workplace is to respect those you work with. Treat everyone with courtesy. Don’t talk down to anyone or act condescending towards their thoughts or opinions. It all comes back to the golden rule: If you treat others the way you would like to be treated, then they will treat you the same way.