We humans are a fractious species. Sit at our family dinner tables and listen as we argue and put each other down. It’s no surprise then, our workplaces have become the same. Worse though, Australia has one of the highest rates of workplace coercion in the world. Our meetings and offices are the sites of a bullying epidemic, impacting the quality of life for all concerned.
A client tells me their business was built like a bicycle, with parts added over the years. The bicycle maintained forward motion and financial charts showed an upward grade. All looked well. But something wasn’t right. There was high staff turnover and maxed out sick leave. Staff were disengaged and unhappy. They’d been added on to the business when needed, but never placed where they belong, at the centre of its operations.
Australian workplaces are among the most regulated in the world. Yes, we have exacting standards for design, production, safety training and testing. But within the multi-headed hydra of Compliance Standards, the humans are largely invisible.
The people part of a business is not regulated. In fact, most Australian workplaces are emotionally dysregulated.
As a trainer and educator, I recognise this by feel when I enter a business. There is an absence of playfulness and humour, a fug of paranoia. Low-level resentment zings around like a deranged blowfly.
Consider the trajectory of the new employee. Onboarding begins with a bundle of HR forms. A supervisor or peer shows them around. They are given workplace instructions. They watch and learn what the values and culture of the business are. When there is a problem, they turn around and ask the person standing closest. This process is largely trial and error. Does this sound familiar?
I was recently asked by a client to review an Employee Handbook. It had been designed by a large consultancy group. Much of the content is disciplinary and the language is coercive. Communicating boundaries shouldn’t generate resentment. Codes of conduct are an opportunity to enrol staff in shared values. Threatening language is counterproductive.
I’ve been alert to workplace coercion for three decades. As a trainer and educator, I have a special view of how people learn and how they relate to one another. My work with victims of abuse and bullying gives me a unique understanding of psychological safety. And this understanding is missing in our HR.
If a new employee is like a newborn in our organisations, how are we raising them?
Bullies will take control of your business and staff if you haven’t developed a culture and safety of policies. They roll up their sleeves and scan the room for targets. Sadly, our new employee may learn the palpable silence of one afraid to offend.
I’ve looked under the hood of hundreds of businesses. The gap between best practice and actual practice is immense. Those down the line are most affected. If ongoing abuse of power exists, there is something wrong with your systems.
All humans become our best inside regulated structures. We love clearly defined expectations. Shared values. We like to feel trust and safety, with one another. Good policies and procedures, properly delivered, are a steadying hand. Without them, we become scared children at the dinner table again.
Safety, belonging, equity and inclusion are the nuts and bolts of human productivity. Most businesses use logistics adapted from mechanised production processes. But humans bear little resemblance to machines.
Our most human traits are innovation, inclusion and co-operation. When these are not tended to, power abuse, resentment and bullying reign.
Humans need a scaffolding of support and safety within which to thrive. A regulatory framework is an opportunity to build this. That is a foundation from which teamwork and cooperation can be created.
My nature is as disruptor and innovator. Therefore, I am surprised to find myself advocating for ‘red tape’. Yet I realised long ago that compliant workplaces are psychologically safer. That matters to me. I love helping businesses build the framework for emotional safety and bullying prevention. Because when it comes to workplace culture, compliance is where the magic happens.
HR processes need to come to terms with what we are, contradictory little primates in colourful clothes. We are eager to please. We hold the potential for profound ingenuity and altruism. When we are held with care, our potential and productivity is profound.
My vision is of co-operative businesses where people thrive. Workplaces are controlled environments that present us with an opportunity. Individuals and teams can learn to manage undesirable behaviours. Generate mutual goodwill rather than tick-a-box paperwork. Install processes that encourage, support and empower the vulnerable.
Professional behaviour is complex and nuanced. It can (and must) be taught. Fortunately, this is what I do. I create HR interventions that respect humans. Using the landslide of current wellbeing research, training is embedded into the workflow. My programs are friendly and equitable. Our new employees will make a grand discovery. There is no value more beloved than fairness.
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