HR MANAGEMENT - The Effects of a Lack of Respect in the Workplace

The Effects of a Lack of Respect in the Workplace

by Arnold Anderson, Demand Media

Employee relationships can have an effect on company productivity. If employees do not like each other but have learned to work together, then that kind of relationship is beneficial to the company. But if employees and managers begin to show a lack of respect for each other in the workplace, the results can be counter-productive to the entire company.

Communication

Staff members that show a lack of respect for each other create breaks in company communication. Employees that do not respect each other will not find it necessary to exchange important information in an attempt to put each other behind on company updates. The problem is that this prevents information to getting to other employees and starts to affect company-wide communication.

Personnel Use

People who do not respect each other do not give each other credit for the skills they possess. For example, the manager of an auto mechanic's shop who does not respect his top mechanic may decide to give jobs to other mechanics instead. The result can be that the quality of work suffers and the reputation of the shop is damaged.

Rumors

People who do not respect each other can sometimes become spiteful and spread rumors that tend to grow out of proportion. False rumors can distract employees from their jobs, and they can also start to spread misinformation that can have a negative effect on employee morale. Employees can be put in a position of having to defend themselves to co-workers and management due to a rumor. The process of substantiating or disproving rumors becomes a drain on company resources.

Recruiting

Employment candidates that tour your facility during the interview process may be subjected to the lack of respect that permeates the workplace. As the candidates are introduced to various personnel, off-hand comments may start to come out that can create an atmosphere of deceit and a lack of cooperation. It can be difficult to convince quality employees to join your organization when a lack of manager and co-worker respect is prevalent in the corporate culture.