Thewordrespectcomesfromthe Latinword“respectus”whichtranslatesto“attention”,regard,or consideration.Itcanalsobedefinedas“acknowledgementandconsiderationof thevalueorexceptionalityofanindividual,anindividual’squalities, capacity,orsomethingtheyconsiderassuch”. Respectisan importantcomponentofmultipleaspectsofone’slife,suchasinterpersonal relationshipsandself-image.Feelingrespectedencouragesourself-worth. Feelingrespectedcouldalsobeviewedasabasicneed,andreciprocally, extendingrespectcanbeconsideredbasicdecency.Disrespectcanleadtohurt andevencauseknotsinrelationships.Whyisgivingrespectsoimportant?Becausewithout it,relationships(ofallkinds)willfesterwithstruggleanddisappointment. Ifwedon’trespectothers,theyhavenoobligationtorespectus,andwhenwe don’trespectourselves,otherswon’trespectus either. Tohaveasenseofsecurityisabasicnecessity, theneedtocommunicatewithoutbeingscaredofbeingjudged,embarrassed,or ridiculed. Whenpeoplearoundus,whoweconsidertobeclose tous,areconsideratetowardsus,cherishourpresenceintheirlife,and respectus,itundeniablyaddstoourconfidence,feelingofself-adequacy, mentalandemotionalwell-being,andoverallprosperityas individuals.Whatisrespect?It’stheindividualworthorsentiment ofworththatyouattachtosomebody.Respectisthegeneralappraisalyougive somebodybasedonanumberofdimensionsyoudeemimportanttoanindividual’s value–whataretheydoingwiththeirlife,thewaytheytreatthepeople aroundthemregardlessof“status”,whethertheyareastraightforwardperson, whethertheyownuptotheirmistakes,whetherornottheygooutoftheirway tobekind.Hence,respectisaweightedviewofhowmuchyouapproveofthe waysomebodyiscarryingonwiththeirlife.Whetherornottheydeservea certainkindofbehaviourfromyou.Respectforothersstartswithrespectforyourself.Respectingyourselfinvolvesassigningyourself valueandincentiveasanindividual.Ifyoudon’trespectyourselfandifyou don’tknowwhatitmeanstoberespected,howwouldyouknowhowtorespect someoneelse?Itwillnaturallybeharderforyoutorespectanyother individual.Learningself-respectforyourselfgivesyoutheconfidenceto respectothers.Listedbelowisarundownofthoughtsthatwillhelp youunderstandtheimportanceofself-respect.Respectingyourself requiresyoutobeanhonestperson,atleasttoyourself.Whenyouarehonest toyourself,thenifnotforanythingelseyoucanrespectyourselffor honesty.Educatingyourself,constantly workingongrowingyourknowledge-baseandkeepingyourselfupdatedonevents surroundingyou,youcanrespectyourselfforyourknowledge.ProperNutrition/Exercise- adoptinghealthierlifestylechoicescanmakeaworldofadifference.Inyour questtorespectyourself,youshouldfeelyourbest.FiscalResponsibility-Financial literacyandfreedomisthefoundationofautonomy.LearntoListen-Chancesare,the peoplewhochoosetospendtimewithyou,respectyou,andarequitepossibly vocalaboutit.Learntolistenwhattheythinkofyou,whatarethereasons theyrespectyoufor,andthenmaybelearntorespectyourselfforthose reasonstoo.PolitenessandPropriety- Practicinglikeablehabitsandkindbehaviourwillmakeyoufeelgreatabout yourself,and,subsequently,peoplewillrespectyouforyourdemeanourand conduct.Owninguptoyouractionsand theirrepercussions-animportantpartofbeingrespectedistaking responsibilityforyouractions.Assessinghowandwhento apologize-Takingresponsibilityforyouractionsalsoinvolvesstepslike formallyapologizingtothosewhohavetakenthebruntofyouractionsand strivetomakeamends.Learningtodistinguishwhichof yourfriendsaregoodinfluencesandwhichonesarebadinfluences-thesocial circlewesurroundourselveswithhasahugeimpactonthekindofpersonality wedevelop.Emulatinggoodinfluencesandforegoingbadinfluencesensurewe becomeindividualswhorespectthemselves.Settinggoalsanddeveloping strategiestoachievethe-settingobjectivesandaccomplishingthem,will helpyougainconfidencetochallengeyourselfmore;andthemoregoalsyou conquer,themoreyourself-respectwill grow.WhyIsRespectImportant InaWorkEnvironment?Wespendamajorityofthetimeinourlifeworking,and soitisveryimportanttohaveajobthatdoesn’tdrainyou.Akeyaspectto thatisahealthyandpositiveworkenvironment.Showingandreceivingrespect intheworkplaceallowsyoutomaintainjustthat.Yourespectothersandare respectedbyothersinreturnandinthisprocessdevelopanunderstanding betweenyouandotheremployees.Respectalsoprovidesgreatassistancefor resolvingworkplaceconflict,frictions,and stress. Bettercommunicationintheworkplacecanbe achievedbyanincreaseintherespectemployeesextendtowardseachother.It additionallyhelpsinanincreaseinteamworkandsustainingpeaceinthe workplace.Mutualrespect,when encouraged,eventuallyresultsinincreasedproductivity,knowledge,anda senseofunderstanding.Anincreaseinmutualunderstandingandrespectamongst colleagues,leadstotheexchangeofpositivityandideas,whichinturn, increasestheoverallinnovationandknowledgereach.Expandingonthat,when thequantityoftrivialinformationexchangeandpersonalpoliticsinthe workplacewillalsoresultinincreased productivity.HowtoMakeYourEmployeesFeel Respected?Employeesaresimilartoinstruments-takeapen,for example,theyneedsomeamountofinkrefilledinthemsotheycangiveusan output.Except,employeesdon’tneedinkastherefill,rathertheyneed respect.Allemployeesare owedvalueandrespect,asresearchstates. Eachemployee deservesanequalamountofrespect,eachemployeeholdsequalvaluetothe organisation,auniversalamountofrespectallmembersshouldreceivetofeel includedintheorganizationtheyworkfor.Respectisn’tthatcomplicated,asimple acknowledgementandencouragementshowanincredibleamountofrespectto employees’work.Whatdoesanactofrespectstand for?1.Awayofshowing gratitudeGratitudeisextending thankfulnesstosomeone.Itmayormaynotbeinreturnforsomethingthey mighthavedoneforyou.Itmayalsobesimplybecausewhattheystandforhas inspiredyouandtheyhaveunwittinglyhelpedyou.Theeasiest(andfree)way toexpressthisgratitudeistoofferyourrespecttothem.Showinggratitude isacentraltenetinmostreligionsfollowedbybillionsof people. Beingrespectfulshowsyouaregrateful.2. Reciprocation“Respectispaidtoearnitback.”Itmeansthat respectisreciprocatedwhenyouputitoutinthefirst place.Theoutputyougetisdirectly proportionaltoyourinput.Theoutputhereisotherpeople’srespectforyou andtheinputhereisrespectforothers.Insimplewords,ifyourespect others,youwillberespectedinreturn.Forexample,sayyouknowsomebodywhodoesnot respectanybody.Theyarerude,abusive,andveryill-mannered,anddon’tknow howtodealwiththeirangerandareeasilyreactive.Theyalsodonot appreciatethoseworkforthemandbad-mouththeirfamily member.Themostnoteworthy thingyoumightobserveinthewayotherstreatthemwillbethatnoone respectstheminreturneither,infact,itwouldn’tbeverysurprisingifthey aredespisedbynearlyeveryone.Everyonemightturntheirnoseupatthemand steerclearofthem.Ontheflipside,ifyoucomeacrosssomeonewhorespects thepeoplearoundthemyouwillnaturallyrespect them.3.Love &RespectLoveisthesentimentatthecoreofsomany relationships–friendship,family,marriageetc...Andmutualrespectis mutualinalltheserelationships.Respectandlovegoinhand-in-hand.Anyassociation basedonabreachofmutualrespectwillinevitably collapse.Respectandloveare intertwined,someonewholovesyoualsolikelyrespectsyou.Sometimesyour respectforothersbecomesthefoundationoftheirloveforyouisbased on.4.Respect fostersrespect.Whenyouarerespectful,notonlyareyousimply beingrespectful,butyouarealsobeingamodeltoothers.Ifyoucollecta neutralgroupofindividuals,ifonepersonstartswithcommunicatingwith othersrespectfully,otherswouldassumethatthenormandcontinuebybeing respectful.Inthisway,respectfulbehaviourspreadsin ripples.Italsospreadto peopleoutsidetheneutralgroupinourhypotheticalsituation,becauseevery individualfromthefirstgroupislikelytobegincommunicationinother groupswithrespect,thatgroupmightadoptrespectfulconversationastheir default.Theeasiestwaytogarnermorerespectfulpeopleintheworldisby teachingthepeoplearoundyoutoberespectful.5.Itbuilds trust.Trustisavaluable commodity.Whenwerespectsomeonewetendtoalsotrustthem.Likewise,when wedeemsomeonetrustworthywealsotendtotrustthem.Hence,theroadto trustcrossesthebridgeofrespect.Showingrespecttosomeonealsoshowsthemthatyou valuethem.Italsohelpsyoubuildtheirtrustinyou.Andinreturn,youare morelikelytotrustthem.6.Respectfulpeoplemakebetter teachers.Beingateacher,notasaprofessionbutjustaperson thatcanteachotherswhateverknowledgetheyhave,entailsgettingpeopleto listentoyou.Whenpeoplerespectyou,theyaremorelikelytolistentoyou astheylookuptoyou.Ifyoudon’tbelieveme,trytorememberwhichteachersfrom schooldoyoustillremember?Anddidyourespectthematthe time?7.Respect +HappinessRespectingsomeonemakesthemfeelgood.Being respectfulmakesyouhappier.Thesetwosentencesareenoughtoexplainmy pointtoyou.Respectisequivalenttomutualhappiness.8.Youtendtobemore accommodatingRespectingothersurgesyoutotryandfitinto theirneeds.Thismakesyoulessdifficulttoputup with.Individualswhoare respectfultowardsothers,reservetheirjudgement,donotadamantlystickto theirpreconceivednotions,jumptorabidconclusions,orprojectonto others.Donotmistakethat asbeingapush-over,ratheryouaremorelikelytoreachasensiblemiddle ground,youaremorecomfortableaboutthedifferencesyouhavewith others.9.You becomewell-manneredwhenyoulearntorespect othersApolitepersonisamorelikeableperson,won’tyou agree?Itisunlikelyyouhavecomeacrosssomebodythatdoesnotlikea well-manneredperson.Beingpolite involvesyourabilitytorespectothers.Whenyourespectothers,youbecome morepolite,courteous,humble,anddutiful-alladmirablequalitiesinan individual.10.Youare morelikeablewhenyourespectothers.Showingrespectforothersmakespeoplelikeyou, thisneedsnojustification.Acharacteristicofpolitepeopleisthatwaitfor theirturntospeakanddonotinterruptothers.Youtendtoreplytotext messagesandmissedcallsassoonasyoucan,asyourespecttheirtimeand effort.Whenyou’re respectful,youtendtoberespectfultoeveryone,strangerstoo!Youare likelytohearoutandnotdisregardpeople’sopinions.Allofthesebehaviours makeiteasierforpeopletolikeyou.11.Helpsyoublendinsociallyand culturallyDifferentcultureshavedifferentlanguages,butthelanguage thatcrossesculturalbarriersis–respect.Differentculturesmayapproach respectwithdifferentoutlooksandperspectivesbutthebottomlineisthat respectisalwaysperceivedasaformofhonour.Whenyoumeetsomeonefroma newculture,theonethingyoucandotoensurethatyoucandotonot mistakenlyoffendthemistolearntorespectaspectsoftheirculturetoyou thatmaybevastlydifferentfromyours.12.Majorlyimprovesthequalityofyour socialcircleYoursocialcircleisthepeopleyouspenda considerableamountoftimewith,whichmeansthattheyplayamajorrolein yourpersonality.Itisimportanttohaveasocialcirclewithpeopleyou respectsinceitreflectsthequalitiesyouaimtoinculcateinyourself. Showingrespectwillensureyouattractthekindofpeopleyouwantinyour socialcircle,whowillencouragegrowth.13.Howdopeopleremember youVeryfewofthebig amountofpeopleyoumeetinlifewillstickbyfortherestofthejourney. Butjustbecauseyoumetthemfleetinglydoesnotmakeyouanylessmemorable. Andonethingisforsure,peoplemayforgetwhoyouwerebuttheywillnever forgetwhatyoumadethemfeellike.Feelingrespectedisapositivefeeling thatpeopletendtorememberwell.Beingrespectfulistheeasiestwaytomake sureyouleavealastingimpactandpeoplerememberyouinapositive light.Allthesepoints makeitclearthatitisessentialforyoutorespectothers,aslongaswe liveinasocietyofpeople.
The word respect comes from the
Latin word “respectus” which translates to “attention”, regard, or
consideration. It can also be defined as “acknowledgement and consideration of
the value or exceptionality of an individual, an individual’s qualities,
capacity, or something they consider as such”. Respect is an
important component of multiple aspects of one’s life, such as interpersonal
relationships and self-image. Feeling respected encourages our self-worth.
Feeling respected could also be viewed as a basic need, and reciprocally,
extending respect can be considered basic decency. Disrespect can lead to hurt
and even cause knots in relationships.
Why is giving respect so important? Because without
it, relationships (of all kinds) will fester with struggle and disappointment.
If we don’t respect others, they have no obligation to respect us, and when we
don’t respect ourselves, others won’t respect us
either. To have a sense of security is a basic necessity,
the need to communicate without being scared of being judged, embarrassed, or
ridiculed. When people around us, who we consider to be close
to us, are considerate towards us, cherish our presence in their life, and
respect us, it undeniably adds to our confidence, feeling of self-adequacy,
mental and emotional well-being, and overall prosperity as
individuals.
What is respect? It’s the individual worth or sentiment
of worth that you attach to somebody. Respect is the general appraisal you give
somebody based on a number of dimensions you deem important to an individual’s
value– what are they doing with their life, the way they treat the people
around them regardless of “status”, whether they are a straightforward person,
whether they own up to their mistakes, whether or not they go out of their way
to be kind. Hence, respect is a weighted view of how much you approve of the
way somebody is carrying on with their life. Whether or not they deserve a
certain kind of behaviour from you.
Respect for others starts with respect for yourself.
Respecting yourself involves assigning yourself
value and incentive as an individual. If you don’t respect yourself and if you
don’t know what it means to be respected, how would you know how to respect
someone else? It will naturally be harder for you to respect any other
individual. Learning self-respect for yourself gives you the confidence to
respect others.
Listed below is a rundown of thoughts that will help
you understand the importance of self-respect.
- Respecting yourself
requires you to be an honest person, at least to yourself. When you are honest
to yourself, then if not for anything else you can respect yourself for
honesty.
- Educating yourself, constantly
working on growing your knowledge-base and keeping yourself updated on events
surrounding you, you can respect yourself for your knowledge.
- Proper Nutrition/Exercise -
adopting healthier lifestyle choices can make a world of a difference. In your
quest to respect yourself, you should feel your best.
- Fiscal Responsibility - Financial
literacy and freedom is the foundation of autonomy.
- Learn to Listen - Chances are, the
people who choose to spend time with you, respect you, and are quite possibly
vocal about it. Learn to listen what they think of you, what are the reasons
they respect you for, and then maybe learn to respect yourself for those
reasons too.
- Politeness and Propriety -
Practicing likeable habits and kind behaviour will make you feel great about
yourself, and, subsequently, people will respect you for your demeanour and
conduct.
- Owning up to your actions and
their repercussions - an important part of being respected is taking
responsibility for your actions.
- Assessing how and when to
apologize - Taking responsibility for your actions also involves steps like
formally apologizing to those who have taken the brunt of your actions and
strive to make amends.
- Learning to distinguish which of
your friends are good influences and which ones are bad influences - the social
circle we surround ourselves with has a huge impact on the kind of personality
we develop. Emulating good influences and foregoing bad influences ensure we
become individuals who respect themselves.
- Setting goals and developing
strategies to achieve the - setting objectives and accomplishing them, will
help you gain confidence to challenge yourself more; and the more goals you
conquer, the more your self-respect will
grow.
Why Is Respect Important
In a Work Environment?
We spend a majority of the time in our life working, and
so it is very important to have a job that doesn’t drain you. A key aspect to
that is a healthy and positive work environment. Showing and receiving respect
in the workplace allows you to maintain just that. You respect others and are
respected by others in return and in this process develop an understanding
between you and other employees. Respect also provides great assistance for
resolving workplace conflict, frictions, and
stress. Better communication in the workplace can be
achieved by an increase in the respect employees extend towards each other. It
additionally helps in an increase in teamwork and sustaining peace in the
workplace.
Mutual respect, when
encouraged, eventually results in increased productivity, knowledge, and a
sense of understanding. An increase in mutual understanding and respect amongst
colleagues, leads to the exchange of positivity and ideas, which in turn,
increases the overall innovation and knowledge reach. Expanding on that, when
the quantity of trivial information exchange and personal politics in the
workplace will also result in increased
productivity.
How to Make Your Employees Feel
Respected?
Employees are similar to instruments - take a pen, for
example, they need some amount of ink refilled in them so they can give us an
output. Except, employees don’t need ink as the refill, rather they need
respect.
All employees are
owed value and respect, as research states. Each employee
deserves an equal amount of respect, each employee holds equal value to the
organisation, a universal amount of respect all members should receive to feel
included in the organization they work for.
Respect isn’t that complicated, a simple
acknowledgement and encouragement show an incredible amount of respect to
employees’ work.
What does an act of respect stand
for?
1. A way of showing
gratitude
Gratitude is extending
thankfulness to someone. It may or may not be in return for something they
might have done for you. It may also be simply because what they stand for has
inspired you and they have unwittingly helped you. The easiest (and free) way
to express this gratitude is to offer your respect to them. Showing gratitude
is a central tenet in most religions followed by billions of
people. Being respectful shows you are grateful.
2.
Reciprocation
“Respect is paid to earn it back.” It means that
respect is reciprocated when you put it out in the first
place.
The output you get is directly
proportional to your input. The output here is other people’s respect for you
and the input here is respect for others. In simple words, if you respect
others, you will be respected in return.
For example, say you know somebody who does not
respect anybody. They are rude, abusive, and very ill-mannered, and don’t know
how to deal with their anger and are easily reactive. They also do not
appreciate those work for them and bad-mouth their family
member.
The most noteworthy
thing you might observe in the way others treat them will be that no one
respects them in return either, in fact, it wouldn’t be very surprising if they
are despised by nearly everyone. Everyone might turn their nose up at them and
steer clear of them. On the flip side, if you come across someone who respects
the people around them you will naturally respect
them.
3. Love
& Respect
Love is the sentiment at the core of so many
relationships – friendship, family, marriage etc... And mutual respect is
mutual in all these relationships.
Respect and love go in hand-in-hand. Any association
based on a breach of mutual respect will inevitably
collapse.
Respect and love are
intertwined, someone who loves you also likely respects you. Sometimes your
respect for others becomes the foundation of their love for you is based
on.
4. Respect
fosters respect.
When you are respectful, not only are you simply
being respectful, but you are also being a model to others. If you collect a
neutral group of individuals, if one person starts with communicating with
others respectfully, others would assume that the norm and continue by being
respectful. In this way, respectful behaviour spreads in
ripples.
It also spread to
people outside the neutral group in our hypothetical situation, because every
individual from the first group is likely to begin communication in other
groups with respect, that group might adopt respectful conversation as their
default. The easiest way to garner more respectful people in the world is by
teaching the people around you to be respectful.
5. It builds
trust.
Trust is a valuable
commodity. When we respect someone we tend to also trust them. Likewise, when
we deem someone trustworthy we also tend to trust them. Hence, the road to
trust crosses the bridge of respect.
Showing respect to someone also shows them that you
value them. It also helps you build their trust in you. And in return, you are
more likely to trust them.
6. Respectful people make better
teachers.
Being a teacher, not as a profession but just a person
that can teach others whatever knowledge they have, entails getting people to
listen to you. When people respect you, they are more likely to listen to you
as they look up to you.
If you don’t believe me, try to remember which teachers from
school do you still remember? And did you respect them at the
time?
7. Respect
+ Happiness
Respecting someone makes them feel good. Being
respectful makes you happier. These two sentences are enough to explain my
point to you. Respect is equivalent to mutual happiness.
8. You tend to be more
accommodating
Respecting others urges you to try and fit into
their needs. This makes you less difficult to put up
with.
Individuals who are
respectful towards others, reserve their judgement, do not adamantly stick to
their preconceived notions, jump to rabid conclusions, or project onto
others.
Do not mistake that
as being a push-over, rather you are more likely to reach a sensible middle
ground, you are more comfortable about the differences you have with
others.
9. You
become well-mannered when you learn to respect
others
A polite person is a more likeable person, won’t you
agree? It is unlikely you have come across somebody that does not like a
well-mannered person.
Being polite
involves your ability to respect others. When you respect others, you become
more polite, courteous, humble, and dutiful - all admirable qualities in an
individual.
10. You are
more likeable when you respect others.
Showing respect for others makes people like you,
this needs no justification. A characteristic of polite people is that wait for
their turn to speak and do not interrupt others. You tend to reply to text
messages and missed calls as soon as you can, as you respect their time and
effort.
When you’re
respectful, you tend to be respectful to everyone, strangers too! You are
likely to hear out and not disregard people’s opinions. All of these behaviours
make it easier for people to like you.
11. Helps you blend in socially and
culturally
Different cultures have different languages, but the language
that crosses cultural barriers is –respect. Different cultures may approach
respect with different outlooks and perspectives but the bottom line is that
respect is always perceived as a form of honour. When you meet someone from a
new culture, the one thing you can do to ensure that you can do to not
mistakenly offend them is to learn to respect aspects of their culture to you
that may be vastly different from yours.
12. Majorly improves the quality of your
social circle
Your social circle is the people you spend a
considerable amount of time with, which means that they play a major role in
your personality. It is important to have a social circle with people you
respect since it reflects the qualities you aim to inculcate in yourself.
Showing respect will ensure you attract the kind of people you want in your
social circle, who will encourage growth.
13. How do people remember
you
Very few of the big
amount of people you meet in life will stick by for the rest of the journey.
But just because you met them fleetingly does not make you any less memorable.
And one thing is for sure, people may forget who you were but they will never
forget what you made them feel like. Feeling respected is a positive feeling
that people tend to remember well. Being respectful is the easiest way to make
sure you leave a lasting impact and people remember you in a positive
light.
All these points
make it clear that it is essential for you to respect others, as long as we
live in a society of people.
