I often see dignity and respect presented together in surveys, as in: I am treated with dignity and respect in the workplace. I looked up the definition of respect and read the definitions for both respect as a noun and verb. I think people should treat others with respect (verb) but I agree with today's post that respect as a noun is earned through one's actions as seen by others (reputation). I thought the key message in today's post is to treat people as individuals and resist the urge to view/refer to them as groups. History has taught us that when we stop seeing/treating people as individuals, really bad things happen. Today's post is a good reminder that when at work, the language we use (managers, direct reports, hourly, part-time, temps, interns, etc.) to group/describe people can influence the way we perceive and treat others and the need to remember that we're talking about groups of individuals who are each whole human beings with their own unique personal histories and life experiences.
Respect is based on qualities or actions that can be observed and appreciated, while dignity is inherent to all living beings (in some cultures this would extend to non-living things and places too) and not dependent on any specific actions or characteristics. So, beyond a basic sense of respect (which should be afforded to all individuals as part of courteous and considerate behavior), one has to earn respect through their actions, behaviors and character.
Thought provoking and makes you reflect on your own practice. I usually think about respect, which even though is a friend of dignity, it isn’t the same
There is a passage I keep in my personal book of wisdom from Sharon Salzburg's book, Real Love:
You are a person worthy of love. You don't have to do anything to prove that...You don't have to earn love. You simply have to exist.
I think love can be switched out for dignity and the same rule applies.
How about respect?
Does that have to be earned first?
Or does this go to the heart of the difference between dignity and respect?
Does dignity and respect look the same in an interaction when first meeting someone?
I often see dignity and respect presented together in surveys, as in: I am treated with dignity and respect in the workplace. I looked up the definition of respect and read the definitions for both respect as a noun and verb. I think people should treat others with respect (verb) but I agree with today's post that respect as a noun is earned through one's actions as seen by others (reputation). I thought the key message in today's post is to treat people as individuals and resist the urge to view/refer to them as groups. History has taught us that when we stop seeing/treating people as individuals, really bad things happen. Today's post is a good reminder that when at work, the language we use (managers, direct reports, hourly, part-time, temps, interns, etc.) to group/describe people can influence the way we perceive and treat others and the need to remember that we're talking about groups of individuals who are each whole human beings with their own unique personal histories and life experiences.
The distinction between respect as a verb and respect as a noun is an illuminating one. Thanks for sharing.
Respect is based on qualities or actions that can be observed and appreciated, while dignity is inherent to all living beings (in some cultures this would extend to non-living things and places too) and not dependent on any specific actions or characteristics. So, beyond a basic sense of respect (which should be afforded to all individuals as part of courteous and considerate behavior), one has to earn respect through their actions, behaviors and character.
Thought provoking and makes you reflect on your own practice. I usually think about respect, which even though is a friend of dignity, it isn’t the same