From Allison Ebner
I was talking recently with a colleague, and we were discussing the topic of change. Continual, forceful, unrelenting change that has completely disrupted our work and life patterns and caused an extreme amount of additional pressure and anxiety on our already stressed-out society at large. As business leaders, HR professionals and managers & supervisors, we are navigating the ferocious pace of change ourselves while we are trying to support our employees as they experience this as well. SHRM is reporting that US workers collectively experience 171 million acts of incivility per day and that 58% of workers believe that our society can be labeled as ‘uncivil’ today. The impacts of all this are showing up in our workplaces in some very negative ways:
- Less patience and tolerance between co-workers, sometimes creating micro and macro aggressions
- Extreme polarization of issues (hello, politics!) that results in toxic workplace activity and the exclusion of some workers
- Decreased or a total lack of respectful tones in the workplace around communication and interactions
With the strong presence of negative influences everywhere we look (I’m talking to you, social media and national news channels), it falls to us as employers to remind our staff that basic human kindness and respect are the foundation of all interactions. We can set policies that not only encourage meaningful dialogue and engagement, but also require people to behave respectfully towards one another or they could be subject to discipline up to and including termination. We need to continuously remind employees that the workplace is where everyone should feel safe, welcomed, respected and included. Acknowledging that these are difficult times and creating a space for dialogue around this topic is critically important. Doing that, in combination with proactive communication about behavioral expectations via policies and manager/supervisor reinforcement, will help you minimize the impacts in your organization.
EANE has many different resources that will support your efforts:
- Sample policies (Code of Conduct, Code of Civility, Progressive Discipline, Bullying, Harassment and Workplace Violence prevention)
- Upcoming webinars and trainings (see event calendar for details or contact us at 877.662.6444)
- Training for your team (Creating Workplace Respect, The Art of Tactful Communication, CALM De-escalation Strategies and more!)
The road ahead is uncharted, but our team is here to walk with you and provide guidance and support for both you and your organization. Please reach out to us and let us know how we can help you and your team!
Allison