How to Respect your Staff

I realise how basic this topic sounds, however, it’s amazing how often something as simple as respecting your staff – the people who do the work, the ones who put money in the pocket of their employer and liase with their customers, are too often the ones who get little or no respect from their boss. The following is a list of ‘Always’ & ‘Never’ in regards to how staff should always be treated. Not just when it’s convenient, or when they’ve made a good sale. Always.

If staff are treated with respect by following the guidelines below, then they will certainly reciprocate, giving 110% to their job, which in turn will provide a better working and team environment for everyone. Your customers are also very perceptive, and will certainly be able to pick up on whether or not your staff are happy and enthusiastic about their job.

Always praise and thank Staff when it’’s required. You must let your staff know they are appreciated. Praise also lets them know they’re doing a good job, which in turn gives them a sense of achievement.

Always share your successes with Staff. It is very rare that an achievement has been made solely by the bosses doing. More often, there are several people involved in business successes and they should be rewarded. Even if it’s something as simple as letting them leave early one day, or offering to buy them a couple of drinks after work, your thanks will most certainly be appreciated.

Never take your Staff or any special favours they do, over and above their call of duty, for granted. If a staff member arrives to the workplace a half hour early by habit, decides to pick up your dry cleaning for you as a favour, or buys you a coffee when they were getting one for themself, don’t allow yourself to get to a point where you expect them to do it all the time. It’’s rude and unprofessional.

Never down-talk Staff members to other members of Staff. Obviously, this is a big no no, very unprofessional and immature!

Always practice what you preach. It’s the old saying ”Do as I say don”t do as I do”, this is no way to gain respect from your staff.

Never ask Staff to do something you won’t/don’t do yourself.

Never scold staff for doing something you’ve done wrong yourself. It’s unfair to make a mistake, then scold your staff for doing the same thing the following week.

If your thinking is sloppy, your business will be sloppy. If you are disorganized, your business will be disorganized. If you are greedy, your empoyees will be greedy, giving you less and less of themselves and always asking for more. Michael Gerber

Always respect Staff, their ideas and their work. If a member of Staff offers an idea, but it’s not quite what you were looking for, thank them for their input anyway, they will appreciate your positive reaction and know that their ideas will be appreciated in the future.

Always give Staff gifts on their Birthday and at Christmas. This is something Staff most likely will not expect, especially if they’ve not told you the date of their birthday. They will feel special and appreciate your generosity.

Always speak to Staff in a professional and polite manner.

Always pay your Staff on time. Something this simple should never be overlooked, however it’s shocking how many employers offer excuses like ”I forgot the cheque book”, ”I didn”t realise it was payday” or ”I can”t afford it this week, can I pay you next week?”.  This is completely unacceptable. You are demonstrating to your staff that you don’t value their time by being organised enough to pay them on time.

Never let a Staff member take the blame/fall in a bad situation. Staff members are likely to make mistakes, however it is unprofessional and bad leadership to abandon a staff member in a difficult situation, especially in front of a customer. If a staff member feels you’ve abandoned them, they will feel betrayed, and may lose respect for you.

Always back up a Staff member in a difficult situation, even if they are wrong. It is more professional to discuss their mistakes in private, later. You will achieve nothing by belittling your staff in front of others.

Never hide behind your Staff from nasty or difficult customers. Any problems, are your problems. Never allow your staff to handle every aspect of negotiations with difficult customers, especially if they’ve asked for your input. And never, ever blame the staff for mistakes, taking no blame yourself.

Never blame your Staff for your own mistakes. ”Oh yes, that was Joe, he did that, I”m so sorry, I”ll see to it he never does that again”. This is an example of poor leadership and communicates a lack of respect to your other staff members who may witness you doing this.

Never make excuses to customers in front of your Staff. Making excuses as to why orders are not completed on time or a product is not up to scratch gives a bad example to your staff.

Never lie to customers, especially in front of your Staff. This is not only unprofessional, but it is immoral too. Imagine what your staff would think of you if you were lying to a customers face, showing that you have no respect for them at all. Also, as is always the risk with lying, you may be caught out later, it’s not worth it.

Never partake in any dishonest dealings behind your Staff’’s back.

Always be completely honest with your Staff.

Never speak to Staff about your personal problems at work. Your staff may be polite and listen to you, however, everyone has their own fair share of problems, and it may be best to keep in mind that your staff may very well enjoy coming to work to escape their own problems, not to listen to yours all day.

Always provide Staff with benefits & rewards for outstanding work. You must give your staff a reason to go that extra mile. If they know that you appreciate the extra hours they put in and the hard work they give, they will continue to put in the extra work, which will in turn mean greater benefits for your business.

Never expect your Staff to be mind readers. If you have no set procedures in place, you cannot berate your staff for doing the wrong thing. If you’ve forgotten to write an appointment in the diary, you cannot expect your staff to know what’s going on.

Always follow systems and procedures and set a positive example. There is no point setting up systems and procedures if you’re not going to set an example by following them yourself. If your own precedures are not good enough for you to follow, then how do you expect your staff to embrace them?

Never expect your Staff to ”know what to do” when you have not set any systems or procedures in place.

If the staff lacks policy guidance against which to test decisions, their decisions will be random. Donald Rumsfeld

So there you have it. The most important thing to remember is that a boss that is well respected is a boss that is diplomatic, fair, understanding, and also is a boss that respects their staff!

You are nothing without your staff.