R-E-S-P-E-C-T: How to Give It (and Get it) to Improve Coworker Communication
Are you facing employee challenges due to lack of respectful communication?
Respect is directly correlated to company morale. If an employee feels respected, they will treat others with respect. This is key to creating a harmonious and balanced work environment among all co-workers in the workplace. Respect is a basic trait most of us were taught long ago; however, in situations where communication has degraded, or stopped completely, it tends to become lost among negative emotions. When the pressure of feeling disrespected builds, it erupts with discord and throws off the balance of the group. So, when contacting a Miami staffing agency to look for new employees, here are some tips on how to improve coworker communication and communicate exactly what you want.
HELLO? HELLO? HELLO? CAN ANYBODY HEAR ME?
When you address your employees, how do you speak to them? Are you speaking with them or to them? Perhaps at them? It is easy when stress builds to speak with a demanding or negative tone. The first step in building positive communication skills is focusing on the emotion, or lack thereof, in a professional setting and using a respectful tone and language. Are you barking orders at them? Do you forget to add please and thank you? These simple words are key signals of respect. So, the next time you make a request of an employee, try it. They will notice, and follow your example, causing them to listen more closely to what you have to say instead of just hearing you, increasing coworker communication almost immediately.
I AM LISTENING
An important step in building clear communication and respect is also listening. Try practicing active listening if you want to build co-worker morale. This means listening to everything someone is saying to you, without thinking of what you are going to say next before they are even finished speaking. When you are speaking with your employees, listen first. Then, show respect with your words, and it will help to facilitate a desire among them to be more eager about increasing coworker communication skills, too. It is easy to forget when we are managing others that we set the example of how to behave, speak, and perform duties while on the clock.
LEADING BY EXAMPLE
Being a leader means you never assign a job you would refuse to do yourself. Have your own restaurant? You need to be able to wash dishes, run the cash register, order supplies, mop, clean drain lines, and change light bulbs, as well as balance the books, set up marketing procedures, etc. You get the idea. All these tasks may come up at one point or another, and you need to be able to step up to the plate, along with creating and maintaining a functioning team. Being a boss often goes hand in hand with bullying, demeaning words, or the assignment of tasks based on emotions and not logic, coupled with a refusal to perform the actual task. This creates a level of discontent, as well as a hierarchy, where you are on top and everyone is below you. Effective leaders build teams, work with everyone, and are willing to get their hands dirty.
DELEGATE, DELEGATE, DELEGATE
When you contribute to increasing South Florida employment numbers, the most useful reason to have respectful and clear communication is to ensure you are delegating tasks correctly, basing them not only on seniority, but skill level, experience, and competency. Some tasks are better suited for some employees, and some are better for others. Being able to distribute work-related tasks to the highest level of efficiency will also increase productivity. You hold the potential to assign multiple co-workers to various projects, encouraging them to engage and requiring more communication that usual. This gives them the ability to learn how to work cooperatively by learning together. These are all effective solutions when focusing on how to improve coworker communication skills and teamwork.
RESULTS NOW
If even after you have dedicated time to improving your own communication skills and attempted to train your employees in the same manner, you find a lack of respect among coworkers, perhaps it is time to contact a Florida Talent Acquisition Firm to find more appropriately matched employees. There are plenty of high level individuals actively seeking work in the South Florida employment sector, and an employment agency can help you fulfill your needs for employees who ARE willing to improve their communication skills. Respectful communication is the key to success!
Need help building communication and developing respect among your co-workers?
We Can Help!