I am a clinical social-worker who wears several different hats (read: my time is very precious). I have no problem meeting with young adults. It just a natural part of the job. I have been in their shoes. I understand wanting to better oneself, the long hours of the grind, and needing some concrete advice. However, sometimes you just have to say NO. It’s a powerful word. A young lady sent me an email that simply said “Can you meet with me this week?” I politely declined (if you want to request a meeting, be specific as possible) and informed her she could join a “What would you do educational lab?” or sign up for clinical supervision. I never heard from her again.  It all reminded me of Lisa Quest article and I agree If you want to earn more respect at work you need to stop doing these 9 things:

Interrupting others while they’re speaking. This is the ultimate sign of disrespect. So stop doing it. Immediately. Bite your tongue and spend your time listening to understand, not to reply.

Arriving late to meetings. How do you feel when someone shows up late to a meeting you scheduled? So why are you doing this to others?

Starting meetings late. Think you’re making a grand entrance when you leave a conference room full of people waiting for you? Next time, check out the seething looks of anger on their faces because you are wasting their time.

Holding meetings with no agenda or defined objectives. If your goal is to purposely drive your co-workers (or boss) crazy, then go ahead. Hold meetings with no agenda or defined purpose. How to break this habit? Estimate the cost of each meeting you hold (multiply the number of attendees by the average hourly pay times the length of meeting). You’ll be shocked at the amount of money you’re wasting.

Talking too much during meetings. No one likes a blabbermouth who just wants to hear himself or herself talk. So bite your tongue (again). Then, help make sure everyone’s voice gets heard during meetings by encouraging round-the-table opinion-sharing before closing out on each topic.

Yelling at coworkers. Yelling at work is never acceptable at work. If you can’t hold a rational discussion, give yourself a timeout until you can.

Multitasking during meetings. Multitasking isn’t efficient and has even been shown to reduce productivity by as much as 40%. It’s also incredibly disrespectful because it shows the meeting isn’t as important to you as, say, checking your emails.

Holding loud meetings in your cubicle. Don’t be a pest to your cubicle neighbors. Hold meetings in conference rooms or other areas designated for groups.

Missing deadlines. This is especially bad when others are depending on your work, because it can cause a domino effect of missed deadlines. It can also get your boss in trouble with senior management. A huge no-no.

Are there tips you would add?