Respectful Workplace Blog

I have long considered myself a student of brain sciences. I am fascinated by how we store information and learn, how emotion plays a role in imprinting and decision making, why behavior change is so difficult …anything that might eventually permit me a greater degree of mastery over that big, grey walnut-shaped mass between my ears. For those with similar curiosity, it’s a great time to be participating in the business of business. There have been more discoveries about how the brain works over the past 5 years than perhaps the last 150 combined…and more is coming out every day.

Okay, you might ask. So what? While knowledge for its own sake is nice, why is brain science so important? And why now? I’m a pragmatist and tactician by nature. It’s the applicability and bottom-line implications of new information that ultimately determine its value to business. So from my perspective, here are a few new insights from brain research that every leader and manager should be aware of.

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Maybe yes and maybe no.

Lately, there have been a number of blog posts either focusing on proposed legislation that would prevent workplace bullying or the Employee Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would expand Title VII to include sexual orientation as a protected class.

While this type of legislation is intended to eradicate inequality and promote inclusiveness in the workplace, we shouldn’t wait for its passage to act. Wouldn’t it be more effective for organizations to take a proactive stance before such legislation is passed to begin the dialogue among employees about the benefits of a respectful workplace?

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There’s an old saying that people support what they help create. The caveat is that we also oftentimes resist what is thrust upon us by someone else (especially if their intentions are unclear). After five straight days of work with two different clients this past week, I’m as committed as ever to the belief that employees and managers must together both define and own their work culture.

Using a relatively simple exercise called “Creating Our Code of Cooperation”, managers (including senior leaders) and associates took part in a discussion of what behaviors they wanted to be able to expect from each other. Simple things like saying “please” and “thank you” were mentioned. Taking the time to recognize the accomplishments of peers and holding themselves accountable for outcomes also made the list. Celebrating successes came up with both client groups.

Interestingly, what also made the lists were behaviors the participants agreed to refrain from. No gossiping, no yelling or use of profanity, and no blaming others when things didn’t go the right way. A culture, as it turns out, can be defined just as much by what we don’t do as well as what we do.

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According to Mark Pinto, a Cleveland based consultant, treating all with respect is a characteristic of a humble leader. While that may not have always been perceived as a necessary quality of an exceptional leader, in today’s changing workplace it has become a necessity:

“We are all called to leadership and as human beings all capable of fulfilling the role, whether we do it through self leadership, leadership within a small group or leadership in a much larger way. Humility does not seem to [be a] part of leadership as it is often misconstrued as a lack of self confidence.

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A company’s culture is one of its most important assets. Culture plays a role in helping to attract the best talent and it is absolutely vital to engaging, developing and retaining that talent. And while no single culture is best for all organizations (or even functions within an organization), there is one cultural variable that is universally beneficial.

Respect

An environment of respect provides an emotional safety net that frees people up to do their work without having to expend energy watching their backs and protecting themselves from the potentially harmful words and actions of managers and co-workers.

When people feel emotionally safe, they’re more creative, more focused, more open to new approaches, more supportive of company objectives, and usually more willing to go the extra mile to help get there. There is no downside to a respectful workplace atmosphere.

So how do you get there?

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