Milos Eric is the General Manager and Co-Founder of OysterLink, a restaurant and hospitality job platform.
After hiring and training hundreds of people, what I find gets top people to say yes to me and stay in my organization is when they’re treated like adults. If you want to surround yourself with top talent, you don’t need rule after rule to make sure they get the job done. Truthfully, when you hire well, your employees likely know how to do their job better than you do.
The people on your team are adults who want the freedom and flexibility to do their job. So, to foster a culture of respect, here are three things leaders can do.
1. Don’t micromanage.
Oftentimes, when leaders act like babysitters, it’s either coming from a lack of trust in their employees or a lack of confidence in their own hiring. Either way, it’s poison for motivation because micromanagement communicates one thing: “I don’t believe in you.”
When you’ve hired someone for their skills, you must let them use those skills. Top performers thrive when they have room to show ownership over their work. So, don’t hover over them, checking their progress every hour. Don’t create a dozen sign-off steps for decisions they were qualified to make on day one. Instead, set clear expectations and measurable goals, then watch your team members achieve them. When they need help, they’ll ask for it.
You should also stop overexplaining. Introduce your team to the process or project, send relevant manuals or provide a rubric, but don’t spoon-feed them. Encourage them to think through problems, and don’t fight their battles for them. Otherwise, you’ll create the kind of underperformance you wish to prevent.
2. Never lie or sugarcoat.
Few things damage team dynamics more than a leader who lies. From glossing over a mistake to making promises you know you won’t—or can’t—keep, lying is a fast way to create an environment where people feel guarded instead of willing to participate. Telling the truth, especially when the situation’s uncomfortable, is a sign of respect.
Adults can work in the face of bad news, but they can’t work when they are misled. Transparency is vital. If the company’s not doing well, be honest. Don’t say everything’s fine, then cut budgets and freeze promotions. But when you share the truth, think one step ahead and pair the bad news with the company’s plan for getting back on track. You’ll be surprised how often employees will rally when they’re treated like trusted insiders.
Use the same approach when holding individual performance reviews. Respecting your employees doesn’t mean only discussing the positives. You also need to speak openly about what’s not working and what needs to change. If someone’s falling short, give them clear, honest feedback they can understand easily and use to make improvements.
If you bend the truth to avoid issues, you support a culture that doesn’t value honesty. But when honesty is part of the culture, it sets the tone for the whole team. People start owning their mistakes faster and communicating more openly.
3. Pamper sparingly.
Too much reliance on treats, perks and praise for basic work makes a workplace feel more like a daycare. Don’t get me wrong. Having a nice paycheck, healthcare or a gym membership can help boost morale, but they should never replace fair treatment, growth opportunities and respect.
Rewarding employees can become a problem when you use it as a distraction or a bribe. Free pizza doesn’t fix poor leadership, and office parties don’t replace a fair promotion process. You also don’t want to create a culture of entitlement in your organization. If constant rewards become the baseline, people start expecting special treatment for doing the minimum. That weakens accountability and builds dependency.
A better approach? Recognize real achievements in a way that feels earned. Provide perks as part of an overall competitive package, and maintain an atmosphere where people feel like they’re part of something serious.
At the end of the day, treating employees like adults isn’t about being permissive or “cool”—it’s about respect, trust and clarity. When you give people responsibility, speak the truth and reward real achievement instead of creating distractions, you create a culture where everyone can contribute their best. That’s the environment where top talent not only stays, but thrives. It’s where the organization succeeds because everyone is fully engaged, accountable and invested in the outcome.
Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only organization for HR executives across all industries. Do I qualify?