Except you have a problem you are not telling us, you definitely want to be respected at work.
There are many benefits to being respected at work.
It feels good, you are taken seriously by your colleagues and superiors, some BS won’t be brought your way, and you even get recommended for promotions and other perks!
Sounds good, I mean, who doesn’t want these?
But you won’t get to experience them if you do the following:
Nobody Will Respect You If You Do These Things At Work
1. You Don’t Care How You Look
If there’s anything I’m known for at work, it’s how I show up.
And I’m not saying this to brag.
Aside from the fact that I genuinely love dressing up and going to work, I send a clear message to my team that I expect them to put effort into their appearance.
They do, and I absolutely love it!
My eyes light up when I see people dress well at work.
It lifts my mood.
I believe how you dress affects how you feel.
No matter what kind of morning I’m having, once I get dressed, everything changes.
Putting on an outfit I feel good in (usually colorful clothes) is like putting on the version of myself that can handle whatever the day throws at me.
And it goes beyond just clothes, fragrances too.
I don’t hold back. 🫣
Looking good and smelling good is the complete package.
See, when you consistently show up at work not caring what you look like, people notice and make judgments.
Fair or not, they do.
They assume that if you don’t care about how you present yourself, you probably don’t care much about your work either.
And if you don’t take yourself seriously, why should they?
Your appearance is the first thing people see before you even open your mouth.
I’m not saying you should show up in designer everything or dress like you’re going to a fashion show.
Nah, but dress intentionally for your environment.
Put effort in.
Iron your clothes, wear things that fit well, smell good, and show up like you respect yourself and the space you’re in.
It’s one of the easiest ways to command respect without saying a word.
2. You Try to Be Everyone’s Friend Instead of Being Professional
I told a friend who got a job after years of looking for her dream job that “your colleagues are not your friends.
Yeah, be friendly, but don’t try to be everyone’s friend!”
She didn’t listen and tried to be friends with everyone.
Unfortunately, she was fired nine months later.
Turns out, all that personal information she’d been freely sharing all got back to management.
And when conflicts came up on her team, she couldn’t handle them professionally because she’d blurred all the lines.
She was devastated.
I felt for her because I understood the impulse.
When you’re in a new job, especially one you really want, there’s this desire to be liked.
You spend eight-plus hours a day with these people; of course, you want them to like you.
Even as a boss, I’m learning that being liked and being respected are not the same thing.
And in a professional setting, respect will take you further every single time.
Your coworkers aren’t your girlfriends, and your boss isn’t your confidant.
Treating them like they are sets you up for failure in ways you won’t see coming until it’s too late.
3. You Gossip
I won’t lie, gossip is sweet.
It could even be a bonding sport, but the truth is, gossip is a trap.
The moment you’re known as the office gossip, you’ve ruined your professional credibility.
When people know you as the one with the latest office gossip who knows everyone’s business, you’ve proved to them that you can’t be trusted.
The bitter truth is that people who gossip with you don’t even respect you.
They might enjoy the entertainment you provide and even participate in the conversations.
But they know you’re not someone they can trust with anything meaningful.
After all, if you talk with them about others, you’ll talk about them with others.
In short, nobody respects a gossip!
And if you think your gossip isn’t reaching the management because they are not on the same floor as you, you are kidding.
News travels fast, and people talk.
Know this and keep your mouth sealed.
4. You Don’t Take Initiative
As an employer, the workers I respect the most are those who take initiative.
People I don’t have to tell everything before they know what to do.
They literally make my life easier because, honestly, if I have to instruct you about everything, why did I employ you?
I don’t only respect people who take initiative, I like them!
I know I said it’s better to be respected than liked, yeah, but there’s nothing wrong with having both.
5. You React Emotionally to Feedback or Conflict
No matter how good you are at what you do, sometimes, you’ll get feedback you don’t like.
And no matter how peaceful and easygoing you are at work, there’ll be conflicts.
Conflicts are unavoidable in every human organization, but how you handle them determines whether you’ll be respected or not, especially in a place where you earn your income.
Imagine being visibly upset, arguing, being unnecessarily defensive, crying, and taking things personally when things don’t go your way at work?
Don’t be surprised when people question your emotional maturity because these behaviors are far from being professional.
Acting professional even when you are boiling inside and feeling like throwing your shoes at someone will earn you the respect you desire.
If you’re guilty of any of these, I don’t intend to make you feel bad.
I’m rooting for you to win, and winning in professional spaces requires awareness of how you’re showing up and what signals you’re sending.
These behaviors are fixable.
Once you know better, you can do better.
Which of these are you doing, and more importantly, what are you going to change starting tomorrow?