I've had the privilege of working in both Europe and in the United States, but clearly my horizons aren't amply expanded because I've yet to come across this during my work experiences: I read this headline: Bosses' respect often outranks basic pay as motivator in Asia: poll.
As Austin Powers was wont to say "What does it all mean, Basil?"
While results varied around Asia, certain areas showed a clear preference for respect on the job and the ear of their employer (hello, Japan), while the type of job was the clear winner in other countries, such as India. In many of the countries polled, money was only slightly ahead of respect.
All of this shows a major difference in attitudes and perceptions between Asian cultures and European cultures (including North America).
It might be nice to have some of this attitude rub off on us so that we can make our bosses think differently and send the message that while a nice check is nice, it's not a way to buy us off and that listening to us wouldn't be such a bad thing from time to time, would it?
What will be interesting to see is how management reacts to such poll results. Perhaps they are in tune with their works and understand how important respect is and that it's actually a two-way street for both management and employees to follow.