How Women Can Gain Respect In The Workplace

A lot of women struggle to gain respect and therefore success in male dominated work environments. So find out how women can gain respect in the workplace…

It can be really difficult to be a woman to advance in the workplace when men and even other women degrade you or treat you differently.

Some of these degrading behaviors include being spoken down to or marginalized, being ridiculed publicly, being interrupted, or being the subject of sexist remarks. While this conduct is unacceptable, there are ways to overcome it. Women can gain respect in the workplace with a very simple strategy:

Communication: Be Friendly But Firm!

Say you’re in a meeting and you notice that you’re being interrupted by another coworker, don’t point it out publicly. Wait until you have a moment to catch that coworker alone. Once you’re in a calm, one-on-one environment, then bring up what happened and how it made you feel, but be polite and professional. You’ll come across as very strong and powerful if you can effectively communicate criticism in a non-hostile positive manner. It’s one of the most important skills to learn.

Oftentimes, the other party doesn’t even realize what they’ve said or done to upset you!

Sometimes they do know, especially if what they’ve done is discrimination or harassment, but sometimes they will stop if you speak to them and tell them you want to them immediately stop specific conduct.  Some people are used to being more assertive.

Don’t be confrontational.

Avoid yelling or accusing the other person of doing it on purpose. If they didn’t like you before, they’ll think you’re a jerk now. Professional communication is the first step to advancing in the workplace. A person who can control the situation, avoid getting emotional, and can communicate effectively with their team will go far in a company.

If they do not stop their behavior or it escalates, and it is unacceptable behavior such as sexual harassment, put your complaint in writing and speak to a manager or the human resources department. You can even take your complaint to the EEOC if HR does not investigate your complaint or if they retaliate against you for filing a complaint.