Creating a Culture of Respect: | Arpil 1, 2006 |
Bullying is part of a set of behaviours that are risky for the health of a workplace. It’s also something that’s caught the interest of media recently.
While it’s important to see these topics being brought into public conversation, the coverage they receive, quite naturally, tends to focus only on the more extreme examples. While they make good news, these examples are less common in most workplaces.
Bullying is one part of a range of part of a range of identified high-risk behaviours that are destructive in workplaces – including things such as harassment, discrimination or aggressive behaviour.
Instead of focusing on these behaviours in isolation and trying to remove them when they arise, Seed works with organisations to build a culture of respect so they are less likely to occur in the first place.
And there’s a lot workplaces can do to promote a culture where bullying and other high-risk behaviours don’t thrive. Some of the steps you can take towards this include developing policies on respectful behaviour, developing robust and timely systems for dealing with complaints, and providing training to equip staff and managers to recognise, and respond appropriately, when such behaviours occur.
We have found that it is also important to provide counselling for both ‘victim’ and ‘perpetrator’ through the investigation process. Effective disciplinary processes are essential requirements, but equally vital are rehabilitation programmes for those engaged in disrespectful behaviours. This aspect is too often overlooked, and ‘bullies’ reprimanded but without the skills or support to change their behavioural habits.
Seed has provided effective solutions in working with various organisations in all these areas – from developing effective policies and procedures and facilitating external investigations, to training staff and managers to build a culture of respect.
Workplaces that understand bullying as part of a range of destructive behaviours are better able to address those behaviours collectively by focusing on the sort of workplace culture they want to create.
Rather than waiting for destructive behaviours to emerge and wondering how to address them, by building a culture of respect you will make it difficult for them to flourish.
When behaviours like bullying occur, the problem is often wider than just that incident of behaviour: a culture has often been created that permits such behaviour. Until this is addressed you will continually be fighting ‘fires’.
We can help your workplace to develop a culture of respect and strengthen the positive characteristics that are already in place – there are some easy ways to get started.
There are huge benefits to this. You’re organisation will be more productive, you’re people will be happier, and you will spend less time fire-fighting.
We look forward to the opportunity to help you create a culture of respect in your workplace.
