How to Demonstrate Respect

12 Practical Ways for Everyday People, HR, and Managers

Welcome to ValuesCrafting!

Respect is a foundational value that you want to practice at work and at home. In this edition, we've provided 12 ways to demonstrate respect in both settings. 

As a bonus, we've added four additional must-do's specifically for managers, HR, and other helping professionals. Their actions are key to fostering a respectful workplace.

For new readers, I’ve included a brief list of essentials to help you get started.

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How to Demonstrate Respect

Respect is a fundamental value in a healthy work and home environment. Treating people as if you highly regard them promotes collaboration, boosts productivity, and ensures that individuals feel valued for their abilities, qualities, and contributions.

If people feel they are treated with respect, they tend to respond by respectfully interacting with their coworkers, managers, family members, and random strangers.

Like trust, you know when the people you interact with respect you. They convey this respect in their interactions and responses. Keep in mind that we all have internal radar machines constantly scoping our environment and interactions, looking for something that is not quite right or off. Respect is one of the values we scan to find.

Employees who feel respected respond with responsible actions. Demonstrating respect strengthens relationships, builds trust, and fosters a positive culture where people are motivated to perform at their best.

What Does Respect Look Like in the Workplace?

At work, respect is about more than just kindness—although kindness is an excellent place to start. Respect involves recognizing other people's rights, skills, and perspectives—whether employees, coworkers, managers, or senior leaders.

It also requires fostering an environment where people feel safe sharing ideas, making mistakes, and contributing meaningfully.

Actionable Steps to Demonstrate Respect

Specific actions are recommended to create a respectful environment at work. These actions can also be applied outside of work with great results.

Treat people with courtesy, politeness, and kindness.

This includes your everyday interactions, such as responding positively to emails, starting meetings on time, and holding feedback sessions. How you treat and interact with people lays the foundation for your positive workplace culture.

Encourage people to express opinions and ideas.

You want to create a safe place where people feel psychologically comfortable speaking up in meetings or one-on-one conversations. For example, actively ask quieter team members for input during meetings or one-on-one discussions, ensuring everyone feels their voice matters.

Use employees' ideas to drive improvement. Give credit where it's due, and better yet, encourage the person to take charge of implementing their ideas. When an employee suggests a new process, let them pilot the implementation. Following through not only shows respect but empowers them to lead change.

Be aware of your non-verbal communication.

Your body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions convey as much information as your words. Ensure they reflect the respect you intend to show even when you really think an idea is off the wall. What do you gain by belittling a person?

You have way more to lose—their commitment and excitement, for sure. When a person suggests an idea you think won’t work, keep your posture open and a neutral expression. Instead of dismissing it immediately, explore the idea collaboratively to preserve respect.

Listen actively before you speak.

Focus on understanding other people's points of view before responding. Avoid interrupting or dismissing ideas. Listening helps build trust and ensures everyone feels heard, which is essential for a respectful environment.

For example, when someone shares an idea or concern, pause to summarize what they’ve said before responding. This practice ensures they feel heard and respected.

Notice the nonverbal communication of the people you speak with.

Pay attention to their body language, eye contact, and facial expressions to gauge their level of comfort and engagement. People give you strong signals about how they perceive what you’re saying.

You can often see how your words impact their comfort level, feelings of well-being, and worthiness.

Include everyone.

Ensure no one is excluded from meetings, projects, or events. Inclusion helps prevent the marginalization of people and fosters a culture of collaboration and shared goals.

If hosting a meeting, for example, double-check that all relevant people are invited. Inclusion prevents anyone from feeling sidelined and reinforces that their role is valued.

Never insult or make disparaging remarks about another person.

Even under pressure, maintain professionalism. Avoid belittling or making harsh remarks about people's ideas or work. For example, instead of saying, “That’s a terrible idea,” consider, “Let’s think through the challenges of implementing this.” This critiques the idea without belittling the person. You encourage the person to speak up when you provide feedback to help the person learn and grow.

Praise more often than you criticize.

Recognize people's accomplishments and positive behavior frequently. Recognition boosts employee morale and encourages a culture of respect and mutual appreciation. Occasionally, ask yourself if you really need to point out a problem when most of the interactions are positive.

If an employee missed a deadline but previously delivered exceptional work, begin feedback by acknowledging their strengths before addressing the current issue. This keeps the focus constructive.

Provide constructive criticism; avoid nit-picking.

Provide feedback aimed at growth. Criticizing small, inconsequential matters can erode respect over time and can lead to bullying behaviors. You want to choose your battles and recognize what is important versus your preferred approach or a petty remark.

Focus on the most impactful areas for improvement. For example, saying, “Your presentation needed clearer objectives,” is more constructive than saying, “You used too many bullet points.”

Treat everyone equally.

Regardless of your degree of collegiality or familiarity, race, religion, gender, age, weight, or background, treat everyone with the same level of respect. A lack of equal treatment undermines your respectful, professional workplace.

Provide similar opportunities—such as mentorship or challenging assignments—to all team members, regardless of personal preferences or backgrounds.

Enforce policies and procedures consistently.

This allows you to create a fair and inclusive work environment where people know what to expect. This makes the workplace respectful of its members. Unequal treatment can lead to a hostile work environment or harassment claims.

For example, if you allow flexible work hours for one employee, ensure the same policy is communicated and available to everyone.

Implement the platinum rule.

According to my colleague and friend, C. Leslie Charles, you want to go beyond the golden rule—treat others not how you want to be treated but how they wish to be treated. Adapt your style to people's needs and preferences to show genuine respect for the individual.

For instance, if one employee prefers direct feedback while another is more receptive to encouragement, adapt your approach to suit each individual's preferences.

Respect in Action: HR, Helping Professional, and Management Tips

HR and other helping professionals and managers play an additional crucial role in modeling respect within an organization. Here's how to instill respect as a core workplace value.

Lead by example.

Show respect in all interactions—whether giving feedback, handling conflicts, or leading a meeting. If you consistently walk your talk, you establish an environment where respectful interaction is the expectation and the norm. Employees who want to succeed in this environment will follow your lead.

Train people to demonstrate respect.

Train people in effective communication, emotional intelligence, and conflict resolution. The training gives everyone the skills they need to interact respectfully and productively.

Encourage feedback.

Give employees the opportunity to provide feedback on your workplace culture. Use surveys, focus groups, discussion forums, and other safe ways to express ideas for improvement.

Tell them when their idea was implemented or considered. This will show them that their input is valued and considered in decision-making. By letting them know the impact they had, you will ensure that you receive more feedback.

Address disrespect immediately.

Don't let issues of disrespect fester. They won’t get better, and the ignored festering will ensure they eventually erupt unpleasantly. Address problems quickly and professionally to ensure a respectful and safe workplace for all people.

For example, you receive several reports that a manager is treating their reporting staff disrespectfully. You will want to tell the manager how their behavior is perceived with examples so that the manager can correct the offending behavior. Also, explore what made them believe their behavior was appropriate. Determine what they need to behave with respect in the future.

Why Respect Matters in Both Work and Life

Respect isn't just a nice-to-have—it's a foundational value that affects every aspect of personal and professional relationships. In the workplace, respect leads to higher engagement, better performance, and stronger teams.

Respect fosters love, trust, and harmony at home, helping family members feel connected and supported.

By practicing these actionable steps and encouraging others to do the same, you'll foster an environment—whether at work or home—where respect is the cornerstone of every interaction.

ValuesCrafting Compass: Curated Resources for Value-Driven People

These curated resources provide perspectives on respect as a core value. Explore them to deepen your understanding and ability to demonstrate respect.

• Aretha Franklin is just looking for a little bit of respect. Watch the YouTube video (2 min. 30 sec.).

• What does it mean to show respect in the workplace? Is it calling your leaders, Mr. and Ms.? Or maybe listening without interrupting others or agreeing with your managers? This resource from “HubSpot” discusses how respectful environments lead to innovation and creativity. Check it out: Respect in the Workplace: Why It’s Important and How to Achieve It.

• This resource explores personal and professional ways to demonstrate respect. It focuses on empathy, intellectual humility, and gratitude routines to build stronger, more respectful relationships. See 15 Ways to Show Respect For Others (Professional & Personal) at the “Science of People.”

Essentials for New ValuesCrafting Readers

• What Exactly Are Core Values? Core values are traits, integrities, or qualities that are not just worthwhile. They represent an individual or an organization’s highest priorities, deeply held beliefs, and core, fundamental driving forces.

• 12 Deeply Held Beliefs: Explore the deeply held foundational values, beliefs, and principles that underlie the information and approaches recommended on ValuesCrafting and at SusanHeathfield.com.

• The ValuesCrafting Journey: This is the story behind ValuesCrafting and my journey with values-based living, writing, and consulting, especially for people in positions that influence the actions of other people.