Respect at Work Returns to a Record Low

The percentage of U.S. employees who strongly agree that they are treated with respect at work has returned to the record low of 37% first recorded in 2022. Gallup began measuring respect at work in 2018.

Respect declined for all types of workers in 2022 -- across industries, job levels, and demographic characteristics like gender and age. This occurred during the height of the Great Resignation (2021-2022) when many employers required workers to come back to the office, and employees quit their jobs at historically high rates. Remote-capable onsite workers saw the biggest drop in perceptions of respect in 2022, from 46% to 35%.

Today, amid the Great Detachment, employees’ sense of being treated with respect has returned to the levels recorded during the Great Resignation. Measures of employee engagement and wellbeing point to broad discontent across the workforce. Employees are less likely to know what is expected of them at work, less likely to feel connected to their organization’s mission and less likely to be satisfied with their job. Employee life evaluations are also at a record low, and worker negative emotions remain elevated.

Historically, on-site workers who are not remote capable experience the lowest levels of respect. This remains unchanged. Thirty-two percent of nonremote-capable, fully on-site workers strongly agree they are treated with respect at work, compared with 37% of all workers. Workers in traditional “blue collar” roles are more likely to be on the front line, in production or interacting with customers. These roles have common challenges ranging from safety and difficult working conditions to difficult customer or manager interactions.

Why respect matters

People come to work expecting to receive respect. It is a requirement for collaboration. In the presence of mutual respect, team members can communicate openly and constructively.

Disrespect, by contrast, damages workplace relationships. When employees report a lack of respect at work, there’s a strong chance that ethically and legally questionable behavior is present. A 2018 Gallup study found that 90% of employees who disagree or strongly disagree they are respected at work report having experienced at least one of 35 discrimination or harassment behaviors in the past 12 months.

How does respect relate to employee engagement?

Respect and employee engagement are intertwined. Engaged employees are surrounded by coworkers who listen to their opinions, recognize their hard work and care about their development. Not surprisingly, they feel respected. Gallup finds that when employees are engaged at work, they are five times more likely to strongly agree that they are treated with respect at work.

Good management plays a larger role in engagement than work location. Post-pandemic disruptions to the workplace likely played a role in the trend, but how people are managed matters more than whether they work hybrid, remote or fully on-site. Employees who have a great manager who provides weekly, meaningful coaching conversations are four times as likely to be engaged and thriving in their wellbeing, regardless of their work location.

What leaders can do to improve respect in the workplace

Understand that respect is personal and situational. Intentional or unintentional disrespect can escalate when managers are not in touch with their people. What feels normal to one person can feel like an affront to another. For example, Gallup finds that employees fall about evenly into being “splitters” or “blenders” when it comes to work-life balance. Some people enjoy getting work calls or emails outside of business hours (blenders) -- others hate it (splitters). People are less likely to feel respected when their work routine doesn’t match their preferred way of working.

Address disrespect at work with frequent (weekly) meaningful conversations between managers and team members. Workplace policies are no replacement for a direct manager who understands the individual and the situation. Managers who know their people well can communicate expectations, explain policy rationales, and make reasonable individualized changes to work routines that let employees know that they are heard and valued.