Workers Want to Feel Respected and That They Matter

Across all of the interviews, workers expressed a deep desire for respect, appreciation, and feeling valued at work. Many frontline workers in fast food, grocery and retail expressed strong dissatisfaction with the way they and their colleagues were treated by their employers, citing a lack of respect and responsiveness to their needs. Some even felt unsafe at work and their managers did not care enough to address their concerns. For the most part, administrative and clerical workers were satisfied with the respect and support on the job.

This desire for respect and feeling valued often clashed with workers’ views about how their employers’ made decisions about technology. Many frontline workers in fast food, grocery and retail described feeling like a cost that their employers wanted to cut. Often, they viewed their employers’ decisions about technology through this lens, predicting that companies will make decisions to maximize profits without concern for the impact on employees like them. Many administrative workers saw technology as helping them do their jobs, with support from their employers to learn how to use new technology.

Workers expressed a strong, human desire to feel respected, valued and appreciated at work.

Regardless of job seniority or occupation, workers throughout our interviews described a longing for respect and appreciation at work. A legal assistant, 65, said, "I want to be valued. And I need for somebody to appreciate what I'm doing. Like thank me. You know? But, value, everyone needs to feel valued. And that you matter in the role that you're doing, no matter what you're doing."

They described a preference for managers who listen to them, respond to their needs, show respect, and recognize their hard work. Interviewees want to know they matter. They want to feel that employers care about them—not just the bottom line—and that employers understand and value their contributions.

We heard from workers who wished their employers would walk in their shoes for a day and take their perspectives and preferences into consideration when they make decisions. A cashier and customer service associate, 39, said, “what I want from my employer is respect,” and provided a vivid example. “For instance,” the cashier said, “on Easter Sunday, I went outside after I finished work. I watched as the store manager we have now pulled in carts. He did—he pulled in carts. And that's the kind of management you want—someone who's willing to go out there and do the same thing you do.”

Fast food, grocery, and retail workers see a lack of respect, support, and appreciation

Many food, grocery, and retail workers were frustrated that they are not getting the respect they desire. Even among interviewees who were content with their jobs, many disliked how their employers treated them and other colleagues. We heard many versions of this statement, from a 38-year-old retail cashier, “My employer doesn’t care about [the employee].”

One grocery pricing clerk, 55, with a long tenure described the disrespectful attitude of her employer, which has worsened over time: “I feel like they don't support their employees. It has changed a lot through the years. Now they just want bodies there to do what they need to get done. Bodies—they've used that term plenty of times. It doesn't make me very happy. I mean, we're more than bodies. We're individuals and a lot of us work very hard. Of course, some don't, but we used to be a team” who “worked together.”

Another grocery employee, a 47-year-old bookkeeper, described the lack of respect from bosses and employers: when "bosses come through. They don’t speak to you; they think they’re better than you. You don’t speak. You don’t acknowledge us. We are the ones that are helping you make this money. Without us, you wouldn’t be getting what you’re getting."

A lack of appreciation was also a common theme. A grocery teller, 59, explained how rare it is to hear any recognition or thanks: “I just told another employee, ‘Great job,’ and he was like, ‘I never heard that before. Nobody ever told me that before.’" A grocery courtesy clerk, 25, felt “unappreciated because I would do a lot of work and that would go unnoticed,” and “then when I'm on my break, it would be taken as me not doing anything. And that's pretty frustrating.” A gas station assistant manager, 23, said cashiers sometimes "feel like they work hard but they don’t feel appreciated in the company. We don’t get rewarded. They want to feel like they’re doing a great job.”

Some workers feel unsafe at work and feel their managers do not care

Many workers directed their frustration at managers who did not respect or support them. Even in extreme cases, when several interviewees reported safety concerns, they felt their employers did not support them and address their needs. This was especially true of workers in fast food restaurants and gas stations who felt unsafe at work. One assistant gas station manager, 23, said that it can get “pretty wild” at her store, with fighting, theft, and assaults on cashiers. Despite the safety risks, her employer only provides security during certain hours.

Our employers actually need to pay more attention to us. Not just to us, but also to our cashiers. Because sometimes our regional manager would stop by on weekends, and the cashiers would say, "Oh hey, this just happened. Sometimes I don't feel safe in this place." And then the regional manager would be like, "Be strong.” The cashiers were like, “well, he doesn’t really care.” Sometimes my cashiers will talk to me in private and say, "Sometimes I feel that our regional manager doesn’t care, like all he cares about is money, money, money to the store."

An entry-level fast food worker, 21, described quitting his previous job after his manager failed to respond adequately to a troubling incident at work that made him feel unsafe.

One night, two guys got into the store to destroy everything. They didn't attack me, but a lot of people were scared. Everything was thrown. The company didn't provide us security, they didn't care about us. I had to close the store on my own and I told the supervisor, “I closed it for my security and everyone else's security. Because anything could happen….Everyone was very scared; we didn't want to die.” The first thing that she said was, “You don't have permission to close the store.” She didn't provide us security, she didn't attach importance to us, she didn't care. So I gave my three weeks’ notice and I got out.

Many administrative workers feel supported, respected, and appreciated

The administrative and clerical workers in our study expressed a desire to be respected and valued at work—and for the most part, they felt they were.

Several interviewees described bosses sharing positive feedback and giving glowing performance reviews. A medical secretary described receiving a lot of appreciation from the patients she helps. An administrative assistant, 58, described her new boss’s reaction after she executed her first assignments: “She came in the next morning and went, ‘Whoa. You know, actually—I have been stunned by you.’ I was like, ‘It’s what I’m supposed to be doing.’” Another administrative worker, 56, with 20 years of tenure described her satisfaction with the benefits, pay, and autonomy provided in her job. She was especially pleased with her employer’s support when she sought medical treatment over a dozen years ago.

In 2005, I got cancer. I got three months off at full pay, because of my tenure and because of the bosses at the time. We have good benefits—we have two weeks of sick leave, they match our 401(k), paid time off earned every pay period. Health insurance, vision and hearing. Every year, they do a [performance] review. Everyone was very nice and very positive; I got excellent everything. And they give you an increase. It’s just a few dollars more, but a few dollars is better than nothing. I have so much freedom here. I get my increase every year, the district director has my back; you couldn't ask for more.

An administrative assistant, 61, described the support she received when she inherited an old house that needed expensive roof repairs. It meant a lot, she said, “for people who’d worked with me and respected me enough to be, like, ‘Hey, here. Here’s some money. Let’s get you started.’ The CEO was one of them. It’s a big part of my life.”

Older workers with a long tenure reported especially high satisfaction. They pointed to the autonomy they enjoyed and the space given by employers for doing their job without interference. Two administrative assistants described the respectful way their bosses treat them. One, 56, said, “it’s not like, ‘You do this.’ It’s like, ‘Can you do this?’ Nobody’s breathing down your neck to get your work done. As long as you’re doing your job, they're gonna work with you on that so I think that's a total plus.” The other, 58, said, “they told me if I wasn’t around, they’d die. I tell them what I need. And they don’t mess with me because I have a very good relationship with the district director. I want work-life balance. 4:30, I’m out the door. I like structure. I know what my job is, let me do my job….For me, because of my tenure, I get a lot of stuff.”