Excuse me? Respect in the workplace

I remember the day when I called my boss, “Mr.” And I’m not that old. But it was a sign of respect. Now, such formality is dismissed, “Mr. Williams is my dad, just call me ‘Roy.’”

So, he becomes Roy and I lose a little piece of the wall of respect that a boss should receive.

When he gives me direction, I say, “yes, sir.” It’s polite. It’s respectful. Roy doesn’t like that either. “This isn’t the military.”

So the work atmosphere is downright chummy. We are no longer a boss and a subordinate. We are two equal cogs in the machine. We are two guys who roll up their sleeves to get it done. We are two soldiers in the same foxhole. The only difference between us is that he gets paid more than I do because he’s responsible for the operation. Roy’s good for that.

Is this a good thing?

This lack of a wall of respect between the manager and the worker has fallen in many other ways as well. Let’s look at outside common interests. Called fraternization in the military, it has actually morphed in to team building and comraderie in today’s world. But I don’t think it’s healthy for a boss shouldn’t socialize with his employees. It sets a bad precedent. It encourages wagging tongues. It feeds gossip. It suggests the boss is playing favorites. It supposed to build teamwork. But it can build resentment.

What do you think about respect in the workplace? Are you old school? Or are you a modern, casual worker. Why? Leave your comment here.