Respect is a virtue

Every organisation has a long list of don’ts. HR departments are forever trying to sort out the don’ts with employees and managers – don’t discriminate, don’t bully, don’t stifle creativity, don’t miss the deadline, etc.

But what about the affirmative approach – what are the positive actions that we can take to try and improve the working environment? Strangely enough a lot of the troubles with interpersonal issues can be avoided with the introduction of respect.

Regardless of rank or role, every single person within an organisation deserves to be treated with respect, and the strongest objections to decisions and actions, whether they be company-wide or individual, can be brought back to the concept of respect. If employees aren’t given a pay increase they’ve been promised or think they deserve then the feeling is one of being disrespected – and the reaction from this is obvious and well known.

When Kyle Sandilands made headlines for all the wrong reasons and felt the wrath of the advertising dollar for his show, I thought about the essence of what had occurred. His verbal attack on a woman was a shock to many. He branded a news reporter a “fat slag” as a response to her criticising his show. This outlandish show of disrespect has shocked women and men across the country. Kyle certainly didn’t agree with the criticism levelled at him – but to frame his distaste with such a lowbrow insult was completely unprofessional.

It saddens me that people are making careers out of being disrespectful. Kyle is but one of a collection of people who are referred to as shock-jocks, and they’re definitely not shocking people with acts of kindness or good deeds. Some of the most crude and crass personalities on TV are given their own shows as a platform to dispense disrespect – and what’s worse is that these programs rate through the roof! As a society we’re applauding and encouraging this kind of behaviour. What role models are we providing to the next generation? Where did we go wrong?

Over the past two years I’ve been working on building the confidence and respectful behaviours of our children with the Finding My Magic cartoon project. Respecting yourself and those around you is a cornerstone of pro-social behaviour. To understand the feelings and rights of those around you is something that parents drum into their children from a young age. But the ruthless and competitive world that we live in is mass-producing disrespect and I’d like to see it stopped.

With bullying in the workplace becoming a bigger issue every day, and companies trying to tiptoe through regulatory requirements of not being discriminatory or insulting in their behaviour – I’d like to see a push in the other direction. Get to know the people around you in the office, understand the needs and be wary of offending people. Even if you’re thick skinned – or perhaps especially so, you need to be looking out for those around you.

It doesn’t hurt you to make like easier for those around you – you might even enjoy it.

My latest comedy film about respect – Ensuring a Respectful Workplace – has relevant key points:

• Don’t blurt out insensitive statements. INSTEAD: Think before you speak.
• Don’t make racist comments. INSTEAD: Always maintain respect.
• Don’t talk behind someone’s back. INSTEAD: Give professional feedback directly.
• Don’t shut down when someone is rude. INSTEAD: Get back on your horse!

Eve Ash has produced hundreds of training DVDs available from Seven Dimensions, and is currently releasing 16 new comedy titles in the CUTTING EDGE COMMUNICATION SERIES.