OUR GUIDE TO ADDRESS AND PREVENT Inappropriate Behavior at Work
IF YOU THINK YOU’RE IMMUNE — THINK AGAIN
100 percent of those on our Fabric Community Call Thursday said either they or someone they knew had experienced harassment in the workplace.
No one is immune from this topic. No one gets a pass. It’s something we must address to create a great company culture, and because candor is one of our core values at Fabric, we’re going to talk about it.
If you’re not convinced this is an issue for your organization, consider this:
First, even if you have a great workplace culture and your employees understand what is and is not appropriate, your employees could encounter inappropriate behavior from people outside of your organization while working for you.
Whether it’s a happy hour, dinner with a client, conference or networking event, we are responsible as leaders to prepare our employees for these interactions.
Second, power dynamics matter. We’d like to think our employees will come to us if they have an issue but that’s often not the case.
How do we know if we’ve offended someone? We might rely on body language or a facial expression. But have you ever laughed at a joke just out of courtesy? We all have. Because generally speaking, people try to avoid conflict. So, not only will people not always TELL YOU if you’ve done something to offend you, but sometimes they’ll convey the opposite of how they actually feel. We never really know what people are thinking, so we must be mindful of what we do and say.
What’s more, your employees might keep a problem to themselves if they fear reporting it could cost them their job — whether that fear is justified or not.
It’s not enough to simply assume “people will speak up if there’s a problem.” We must have processes in place to support employees who have concerns about clients or upper management — including ourselves.
WHAT TO DO IF THERE IS AN ISSUE
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” — Dr. Martin Luther King
ADDRESS ISSUES ON THE SPOT
Don’t wait to take action. If you see something inappropriate, put a stop to it right away. If you pull that person aside AFTER the fact, those who witnessed the behavior will be left with the impression you did nothing. This does not require making a big scene. You can have a more involved conversation one on one.
If an employee reports something you did not witness, make investigating that issue a priority so they know you take it seriously.
LISTEN AND TAKE THE CONCERN SERIOUSLY
Even if the issue seems exaggerated, it’s important to hear the person out and take it seriously. Listen with an empathetic and open mind and try not to jump to conclusions.
GET ALIGNMENT ON WHAT “RESOLUTION” LOOKS LIKE
Ask the person who came forward what resolution looks like to them. Be sure that the action you take to correct the behavior doesn’t leave them feeling like nothing was done.
TAKE ACTION BASED ON YOUR MORAL COMPASS AND CORE VALUES
If you have core values at your organization, use them to guide your response. Ultimately, your goal should be to make the behavior stop and to stay true to who you say you are. That may require firing someone or, depending on the circumstances, just saying, “Hey, that’s not cool.”
If you saw or heard something that made you think for even a second, “That probably wasn’t good,” I guarantee you someone else did too. If you feel your eyes getting wide or have that, “Oooh!” feeling — that’s your cue. You need to do something about it.
OPEN THE CAN OF WORMS
Our goal at Fabric is not to teach you how to simply avoid legal responsibility. We want to empower you to truly be a culture leader. To do this, you can’t be afraid to confront uncomfortable issues facing your employees. Otherwise, you aren’t being the leader you set out to be.
That said, if there are WAY more worms in that can then you were expecting, or you just don’t feel confident in having these kinds of conversations, get help! We are here for you.
5 TIPS FOR PREVENTION:
- CREATE THE CULTURE YOU WANT TO HAVE: Your people are looking to you to set the tone for what is and what isn’t OK. Be sure to check your own words and actions to make sure they align with your core values.
- TALK ABOUT IT: Have a meeting with your team about inappropriate behavior and harassment. Give people the language to talk about it and make sure they understand what’s OK and what isn’t. Also, make sure they know what to do if an issue arises.
- HAVE A POLICY AND SHARE IT: A written policy will prepare you should an incident occur. It will also really help with Tip #2, by making sure everyone is on the same page. And if you already have a dense, jargony policy, consider a summary or a condensed version you can deliver to your team. Don’t assume people are going to READ your policy either. Hold a meeting and talk about your expectations for appropriate behavior more than once a year.
- GUARD AGAINST HARM: Take an honest look at your culture and assess your environment. How does your team interact with one another? Where and how do you meet? Identify whether your business practices risk putting people in vulnerable situations or creating inequality. If they do, change them.
An Important Note on “Avoiding Beer with Women” (aka the Mike Pence Solution):
For male leaders, I understand the reflex to say, “I’m never going to have another beer with a woman alone.” But if you think there is a business practice you need to change — DO NOT PRESCRIBE THAT CHANGE TO ONLY ONE GENDER. This “solution” removes women from the table where business gets done and creates even more inequality and division. If you decide you can no longer “grab a beer after work” with a woman, don’t do it with men either.
5. PRACTICE EMPATHY: Empathy is a key trait of great leaders. Encourage your team to imagine themselves in each other’s shoes. Doing so will help your employees be more conscious of their behaviors and reduce the likelihood of harassment in the workplace.
And there you have it. I know it’s a lot to digest, so if you need help — please reach out to John or myself. We are happy to be your sounding board if you have culture questions and we hope this will help you in your journey to create people-first workplaces!
Rosalynn
Have a culture, leadership or organizational development question? Don’t hesitate to reach out: roz@befabric.com.
