As I was conducting a Harassment Prevention Training for employees last week, a couple of the attendees came up afterward to talk to me about what they were experiencing in the workplace — it wasn’t sexual harassment or harassment based on some other protected class — but it certainly fell into the category of disrespect or bullying in the workplace.
This past month, I’ve conducted a couple of training sessions on Workplace Respect (the opposite of workplace bullying) and one of the topics that comes up is motivating employees and giving them praise. Immediate, specific praise is the most effective motivator. In contract, several of the employees in the training last week, commented that the only time they ever hear that they are doing a good job is once a year at the company Christmas party. That’s de-motivating.
Here are 3 concrete steps you can take to get bullying behavior out of the workplace and help implement Respect and Civility in the workplace in its place:
- Set the tone — be a good example giving respect and dignity to all employees
- Discuss bullying behavior — just like harassment, this isn’t behavior that should be swept under the rug or allowed by any employees — even those superstars!. Talk about what behavior is unacceptable and what the consequences are for engaging in disrespectful/bullying actions.
- Do not stay silent — again, just like harassment, if you see it, say something! If you are a supervisor/owner, stop it in its tracks. Even if you think it might just be “joking around,” call the offender aside and let them know that their statements/actions aren’t acceptable in the workplace.
With respect,
Sharon