I wrote this en route, flying home after delivering Speak Up: Speak Out – Personal Power and Respect in the Workplace, one of most popular presentations I developed after publishing Road to Respect last year. Speak Up: Speak out is intended to empower employees to speak up about disrespect at work. I make the case in Road to Respect that disrespect is a non-issue when workplace leaders make a strategic decision to build a values based culture where respect is a core value, where respect simply becomes “the way it [...]

Last week we learned about the responsibilities for a host at a business lunch and this week we focus on guest etiquette. If you are a guest at a business lunch, be sure to arrive on time or perhaps a few minutes early. Later than 10 minutes is not a good idea and should be preceded by an apologetic phone call. If you have any dietary restrictions, let your host know well in advance. Be sure your clothes are clean, freshly pressed and with polished shoes. Be sure to check in the [...]

Business lunches are an increasingly important part of the process of establishing and developing business relationships. Rarely is a lunch of this sort arranged because the host is concerned that his guests are hungry and need a meal. More than likely, there are farther reaching reasons. For example, if a host invites a potential employee to lunch, he will keep a close eye on how that person will reflect the corporate image of the company. After all, eating is a ritual which we perform several times every day. If this [...]

Not too long ago I came across a blog post – My Passion for Great Workplaces Comes from Hellish Boss Experience – that resonated with me. Kevin Kennemer of the People Group, LLC wrote a deeply personal account about how he got into the business of championing great workplaces. It got me to thinking about my own story, and how I ended up promoting respectful workplaces.

This week we’ll look at the ever popular subject of leadership and the role it plays in the development of a respectful workplace, as we continue to highlight our best blog posts from the last two years. In these posts, Paul advocates for leaders to create a culture of respect where employees feel emotionally safe, while Chetan Borkhetaria explores how we can all embrace difference and why leaders should value diverse opinions. Finally, Erica Pinsky discusses the voluntary MBA oath that promotes ethical standards for business leaders. Respect Starts At [...]

Respectfully interacting and communicating with your co-workers is the topic of this week’s Best of Respectful Workplace series. Below, you will learn from Erica Pinsky why communication and more specifically speaking up is the foundation of a respectful workplace. I’ll teach you how to create meaningful relationships with candid dialogue among diverse peers. Finally, Laura Lewis-Barr explains how fighting in the workplace hides under the surface and is often expressed through non-verbal communication. Confrontation or Conversation: What’s the Norm in Your Workplace? by Erica Pinsky In last month’s post, I featured [...]

Most sports pundits and talking heads are busy analyzing LeBron’s recent Decision (live on ESPN!) and debating whether he will succeed with his two high-profile partners. As a Cleveland resident (but not native), I felt awful for the fans of this city; and being an HR practitioner, I came away from the experience with a somewhat different take on the situation. We all know about companies composed of talented people who have developed an expertise in their particular field. Most of them are diligent, professional and humble, but a few [...]

This is the 100th post on our blog.  So, I thought it was time to take a look back at some of our previous posts from the last two years. I realize that many of you are loyal readers who have been with us from the start and we thank you for that! I also know that there are quite a few new readers out there, who have recently found us and may have missed some of our past content. For the entire month of July, we’ll be revisiting some [...]

I attended a great workshop along with a group of local high school students and interested adults to learn about the obstacles and problems associated with communication between youths and adults. The results were very revealing with education, awareness, and respect being the three most important elements to improving this important dynamic. There appears to be a missing bridge connecting generations which seems to gradually widen as we mature. Many people’s frustrations can be eased if we keep in mind some basic human kindness. Etiquette is based on creating a [...]

Those of you that read this blog regularly may recall my July 2009 post, which focused on online retailer Zappos, whose bottom line sales grew from “almost nothing” in 1999 to over $1 billion in 2008. CEO Tony Hsieh is very clear about what has contributed to Zappos spectacular success – it’s their values based culture. Zappos’ story clearly supports the main theme of my book Road to Respect: Path to Profit – that developing and living  a strategic, values based workplace culture is a key ingredient to business success in [...]