5 tips for improving respectful work communication

Why is respect so important when communicating in a work environment?

Respectful communication between employees and leadership is an essential part of a productive, engaged work environment. A lack of respect when communicating can cause serious issues, adversely affect health and lead to high employee turnover in the future.
To maintain a suitable work environment, be sure to avoid over sharing personal information, as well as slacking and being late. In doing these things, employees display a lack of respect for both themselves and their fellow coworkers. This pertains to both regular employees and leadership personnel.
In terms of leadership, respect is even more important during interactions. According to a recent Harvard Business Review study of employees, those who reported feeling respected by their leaders demonstrated the following:

• 55 percent reported stronger feelings of engagement
• 56 percent had better health and ultimate well-being
• Respected employees were 1.72 times more likely to trust other employees
• 89 percent had greater enjoyment and satisfaction with their job and 92 percent had greater focus and sense of prioritization.

Those that felt respected by their leaders were also more likely to remain within their business longer than those who did not. Over half of employees that were polled claimed they didn’t feel respected by their leaders.
Keep the following five tips in mind when it comes to improving respectful communication and relations among employees and leadership:

• Address concerns in a timely manner: If an employee approaches HR with a complaint, be sure to handle the situation privately, efficiently and with effective reasoning. If an employee does not feel their concerns are being acknowledged, they are more likely to leave the company.
• Include everyone: Being inclusive at work is an important part of an office environment. This can be done easily through 4 Gateway skills seen in MasteryTCN’s e-learning course, Gateways to Inclusion. When employees feel as if they belong, they are more likely to contribute meaningful time to the business and enjoy themselves while doing so.
• Maintain open channels of communication: Ensure employees know their voice will be heard if they speak. If an employee feels as if their ideas, opinions or work ethic is passed over time and time again, they will be less likely to contribute in the future. In addition, maintaining open communication keeps diversity at the forefront of business.
• Support development: Schedule employee training and refresher courses in order to enable employees to learn new information. Supporting employees with new skills instills a sense of confidence in them, as well as opening the floor to future learning initiatives as well.
• Strive for improvement: No workplace is perfect. Continually pushing for more improvements in day-to-day tasks lets employees know the organization is serious about their happiness and longevity within the company.

Learn more about employee development by checking out our website. MasteryTCN has a wide-range of e-learning courses available that are easy to use in your employee development initiatives.
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