There are two types of respect. Lack one, and you’ll hate your job

Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship Blake Ashforth found employees value two particular types of appreciation. One is the least a company provides for a secure environment. The other is often neglected.

Owed respect is given equally to all individuals in a workgroup or company, meeting the fundamental human need to feel included. Earned respect acknowledges each person for their unique talents and attitude. While the former is necessary for all organizations to maintain a civil environment, the latter is important for happy, productive workers. Businesses get into trouble when they have more owed than earned respect or vice versa.

In this article on Quartz at Work July 16, 2018.

Workplaces with lots of owed respect but little earned respect can make individual achievement a low priority for employees, because they perceive that everyone will be treated the same regardless of performance.

– Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship Blake Ashforth, who is the Horace Steele Arizona Heritage Chair