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How to demonstrate respect at work

As a child, always being taught about respect from my parents and the only grandmother I ever knew, I always felt it was an important part of life. My children were taught to be respectful and at this point we are teaching the same to my grandchildren.

In a working environment I feel it is essential to treat co-workers and supervisors with respect. Working non stop since my graduation from college I have seen and heard many disrespectful incidences. Even though I grew up respecting, working with people day after day, taught me at times to have to work hard toward being respectful. When dealing with people, ethics, race, beliefs, and background needs are to be taken into consideration.

I am a nurse and I work at a dialysis unit. All employees in this setting, no matter what position they hold within the company are dealing with not only the different characters of people but also with very sick patients. These patients need to be individualized when taking care of them, because each one has different needs.

Respect also grows stronger with age and time. I look back on some of my years of experience as a staff person or a supervisor, and realize how I could have done things differently. At my place of employment, I respect all of the employees within the unit. I don't always agree with all of the decisions made, whether it be at my level or a higher level, but I continue to show respect.

By treating all of my co-workers with respect, in turn, I have been highly respected by them. This has been my reward for trying to understand each and every one of them. I was out of work for approximately three months due to illness and it was amazing the number of calls I received from my co-workers. The first day back to work, both my co-workers and my patients were so happy to see me. When I saw the reactions of the patients and the employees, it reinforced that I was in the right place to be employed.

When there is something to do on the floor that is not the most pleasant to do, or that is not in my job description, I help the patient care techs with whatever task are to be done. There are some nurses I work with that would not do the same. I still show respect for them for other things they do that are valuable to the team, however, they are not always shown respect by the techs.

I feel when I show respect, people give it right back to me. Feeling I have made a big impact on some of my co-workers, on their actions and words, has made me proud. Many of the people that work in the unit with the patients are much younger than I. Gradually most of them are showing more and more respect as each day goes by. My thought is giving respect gains respect. I feel that some of the younger employees at work have already seen it work. Doesn't it seem like respect and working as a team is contagious? It is like the expression, you scratch my back and I will scratch yours.

Learn more about this author, Miss D Charnia.
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