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How safe is the work culture in your team?
How safe is the work culture in your team?
If you ask team leaders, managers and HR professionals how important a safe working environment is to them, they will unanimously say: extremely important.
But what exactly counts as inappropriate behaviour, and which behaviour do we actually want to encourage? And what do we do when we see something that isn’t okay?
Social safety often starts with policy. HR communicates the code of conduct and explains where employees can report inappropriate behaviour. However, this alone does not create broad awareness of what discrimination and sexual misconduct actually are, nor of the impact they can have on someone’s wellbeing and job satisfaction.
By engaging the entire team in conversation, I help ensure that everyone understands the different forms of appropriate and inappropriate behaviour, can recognise them, and feels empowered to address behaviour with one another. To achieve this, I use the following approach:
Social safety policy
Social safety policy
What is considered appropriate or inappropriate behavior differs from one organization to another—and that’s okay.
I support teams in reflecting on their social safety policies, codes of conduct, and how these are communicated to employees.
At the very least, I recommend that every organization explicitly addresses discrimination and sexual misconduct. In addition, topics such as caring for one another or actively countering gossip culture can also be included.
Staff training
Staff training
Based on the values and codes of conduct that are important to your organization, I engage in conversation with employees.
During a 2–3 hour training session, we explore what staff already know about discrimination, sexual misconduct, and other forms of inappropriate behavior. Where needed, I fill in knowledge gaps and encourage participants to contribute from their own expertise and experiences.
At times, tensions may surface that invite dialogue. How do we have these conversations respectfully? Participants reflect on when to intervene—and when not to—in situations that feel unsafe or inappropriate. We then practice proven techniques for speaking up and intervening in cases of boundary-crossing behavior.
Gaining insight into current dynamics
Gaining insight into current dynamics
After the training, staff members are asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire. This provides insight into the extent to which they identify with the organization’s social safety policy and whether they are aware of the internal reporting procedures. In addition, participants are asked about their own experiences with inappropriate or unwanted behavior in the workplace. The results are reported back to management in a coded and aggregated form, ensuring the privacy and confidentiality of all participants.
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