Why You Should Respect Your Coworkers

Why You Should Respect Your CoworkersWhy You Should Respect Your CoworkersWho Let the Dogs In? Barbara quit her job last week. She just couldnt take it anymore. What made her quit? Was it a difficult babo? Was she bored with her work? Did she just feel it was time to move on? No, no, and no. None of the above. Barbaras boss insisted on bringing his dogs to work. Barbara, who had always been afraid of dogs, found out that she was also allergic to them. Her boss refused to leave the dogs at home so Barbara found another job. As if the allergies werent enough, her bosss disrespect for her pushed Barbara over the edge. Unfortunately, disrespect for ones coworkers (or subordinates) isnt that uncommon. And it often causes people to leave their jobs. For employers this means losing good people, and then having to hire and train new ones. For coworkers it means having to get used to working with new people, and picking up the slack until new employees can be found. The saddest part of the l ack of respect in the workplace is that many people dont realize they are being disrespectful. They arent trying to hurt someones feelings. They just arent trying to not do that. Barbaras boss, for example, was doing what he felt was best for his pets. He thought leaving them at home was cruel. He may have even felt that his employees would enjoy having the dogs there. He didnt consider the negative effect the dogs might have on someone. What to Avoid Doing How can we avoid offending the people we work with? It seems as if it should be blatantly obvious. But if it were, you wouldnt be reading this article. Lets take a look now at things you could do that may offend your coworkers. They arent listed in any particular order. Having loud telephone conversations that distract or annoy others in the workplaceleid cleaning up after yourself in the staff kitchenTaking food that doesnt belong to you from the staff refrigeratorShowing up late for meetingsShowing up for meetings unprepar edLooking at a coworkers computer screen over his or her shoulderTaking supplies from a coworkers desk without askingSpreading gossip around the officeComing to work sick Not minding your manners, for example neglecting to say please and thank you Wearing too much perfume Chewing gum loudlyTaking the last of something without replacing itAsking someone to lie or cover for youBlaming someone else when you are at fault instead of accepting responsibility for a mistake Being the office tattletaleTaking credit for someone elses work or not sharing credit with others who helped on a projectAsking a subordinate to do something unrelated to work, i.e. run errandsTrying to convert others to your political or religious beliefsOpening anyone elses mail without their permission Sending unwanted email such as chain letters, petitions and jokes to coworkersTelling offensive, dirty or insensitive jokesSmoking in common areasNot sharing the workloadBringing negativity into the workplace, for examp le incessantly complaining about the company, boss or coworkersBeing a know-it-all and having a condescending attitude toward others