Treat Everyone with Respect

Dealing with difficult people is the subject of countless tomes and many experts have spent years and careers studying the intricacies of interpersonal relationships. Yet even with all the tips, tricks and tactics made available by self-help gurus today, the fact is that it doesn’t always have to be that complicated.

I spent a number of years as a first-line supervisor on the factory floor. One of the last assignments I had was as the foreman of an engine cradle welding area. It was incredibly hot, extremely noisy, and widely considered to be the least desirable place to work in the entire plant. I suppose it’s not surprising that I had many discipline problems and the departmental attendance rate was atrocious when I first took over the area.

I had the 2nd shift crew and we were working from 3pm to 3am, Monday through Friday, 10 hours on Saturday, and 8 hours on Sunday. Our wallets were full from months of overtime, but nerves were frayed, tempers were short, and exhaustion was absolutely rampant. It’s no wonder that one of my guys took an extended lunch break one evening.

Unfortunately, that extended lunch break -- he came back to his station 90 minutes late -- caused my to shut-down half the cell because I had no extra people and his was a bottleneck operation. I placed him on notice of possible discipline, he called for his Union rep, and the three of us sat down for a chat.

I checked with our Labor Relations rep and found that the employee already had two penalties on his record, which meant that he would lose pay for the balance of his shift and one day if I penalized him that night. Well, after going through a thorough fact-finding interview with the employee and his Union rep, I did just that. I wrote the penalty and accompanied the employee to the gate. Before he walked out, he shook my hand, apologized, thanked me, and left the building.

The Union rep was looking at me like I was some sort of freak of nature (imagine the cartoon character with the bulging eyes and his jaw hanging down to the floor). He looked at me and said, “He shook your hand. He thanked you! In 35 years, I’ve never seen anything like that!”

I looked at him and said, “He was wrong and he knew it. I was fair with him. And I treated him with respect.”

And that’s exactly what happened. I wasn’t rude. I didn’t yell. I didn’t try to make him feel bad or guilty. I wasn’t sarcastic. I didn’t talk down to him. I treated him like a human being and gave him the respect he deserved because of that humanity. And you know what? He didn’t file a grievance against the penalty and I never had any problems with him again.

There are countless books and articles available on how to deal with all sorts of people more effectively. In my opinion, one of the best places to start is by simply believing that people deserve respect and then treating them that way.

Train hard and pray harder,
Brandon Jubar