For me, respect means not being patronized--for being recognized for doing an important job and having extraordinary skills. I manage the support staff (clerks, secretaries, procurement people) in a law enforcement agency. Recently I had one of the other managers (not a support member) tell me that describing myself and my staff as "support" was demoralizing. Never did he check with them to see if they (or I) minded--in fact, we got together and requested several years ago to be referred to as the support staff, not the "clerical" staff because what we did went way beyond typical "clerical" duties--duties we felt "supported" the mission of our agency. Oftentimes this same person will inquire if we don't want to be more than just "clericals." This is the kind of person who has no idea what we do, doesn't care that we take extreme pride in our unique skills, nor does he even acknowledge (in this case, yes, a "he" but I've also encountered women bearing the same attitude) that those skills, are in fact, unique. Respect's a biggie with me--without us, the office would be a MESS!!!
Oh--did I answer the question? Sorry. Had to vent just a little.
Calming down in upstate NY on my day off....turning on Aretha: "R-E-S-P-E-C-T...."
