by Ann E. Smith

Created on: October 06, 2009

Employees have expectations when they go to their jobs. Whether these expectations are met by the reality they face varies from one situation to another. However, good employers should create a workplace in which their employees feel safe and respected.

And the workplace should be conducive to getting the work done. That means that the environment should be clean, comfortable and properly equipped for the necessary work.

But how exactly should employees be treated at work? Below are a few things that are considered appropriate and necessary.

Employees should be treated with:

* Fairness
* Respect
* Professionalism
* Behavior that falls within the law
* Decency

* Fairness

While life is not fair, employees hope to be treated with a reasonable degree of fairness at work. Policies and procedures are often put in place at companies to ensure that employees are treated fairly by the employer and its staff members.

* Respect

Employees should be treated with respect when they are at work. Respectful behavior includes addressing someone in a respectful way, giving others the chance to talk and treating each other within the realm of basic common courtesy. When an employee is treated with respect, he is not berated in front of others for no reason. He is not verbally abused. He has a chance to express himself.

* Professionalism

Professional work environments have their own cultures and code of conduct. While each company's culture may vary to some degree, there are common things found in professional workplaces. Employees should be treated as adults. They should be talked to in a professional manner. Certain professional boundaries should be respected.

* Behavior that falls within the law

There are laws in place that are intended to protect employees from things like sexual harassment while at work. When someone goes to work each day, the various laws that apply to an office should be enforced. If an employee runs into a situation that is unethical, such as being bribed by their boss, they should have readily available resources to report such behavior.

* Decency

Being treated with decency is similar to being treated with respect. When employees go to work each day, they want to be treated as human beings, not as machines who must just push out work. They want to be greeted by their fellow workers. They hope to experience some compassion in the event they experience the death of a parent or child.

These are just a few general ways that employees hope to be treated in the workplace. While no office is perfect, those that value such behaviors make for happier places for their employees to work.

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