In late June, I spoke at SHRM’s annual conference in Chicago where more than 25,000 people were in attendance. A major theme of the event, and recent SHRM initiatives, addressed workplace civility. As this topic has been integral to my work and passion for the past 40+ years, I was excited to see it getting so much attention.
My session, entitled Teaching Big Shots to Behave — Before It’s Too Late, focused on workplace civility as a key ingredient for addressing unacceptable behavior from leaders and others who are often treated as immune to standards that apply to everyone else.
I’ve been writing and speaking about this topic for many years as managing “big shot’” behavior is vital for establishing and supporting civility throughout an organization. I’ve encountered their “untouchable” misbehaviors which have shown me how incivility can lead to operational catastrophes even more devastating than legal and human resource risks.
Almost every day, our headlines and lead stories drive this point home. They document the behavioral shortcomings of leaders and other key staff whose unaddressed actions cause compliance issues, brand damage, catastrophic public harm, and even criminal proceedings.
A common trend is that organizations repeatedly ignore substantial danger signs from these big shots. Leadership may have witnessed or experienced improper big-shot behavior but failed to act for a variety of reasons, including those driven by longstanding cultural practices of “big-shot special treatment”. Additionally, many staff may have experienced or witnessed disruptive, toxic, or even illegal big-shot misbehavior, and didn’t speak up about it out of the fear of retaliation– real or assumed –from past events. These incidents indicate a cultural failure often leads to great personal and organizational harm.
At the SHRM conference, I could tell this topic struck a chord with the HR community- roughly 300 participants attended my session. Many I spoke with before and after my session confided that it’s an issue ignored in their workplaces.
As SHRM’s One Million Civil Conversations initiative recognizes, workplace civility is mission-critical to creating productive work environments that help organizations achieve their operational, compliance, financial, and other key goals. It’s especially timely now due to current factors that can amplify incivility, including remote work environments, personal and political topics, and social media usage.
While setting and communicating standards are important, it’s vital to have structured, achievable plans to establish those standards. The process begins with getting leadership’s buy-in. That means that leaders to whom “big shots “report must understand the harms that incivility can cause. They must require that civility standards are aligned with organizational values and apply equally to everyone. Second, they must promptly act to address uncivil behavior before it causes irreparable damage to individuals and the organization.
Human Resource professionals cannot drive civility initiatives alone. Everyone must understand and be responsible for helping to address “big shot misbehavior.” Otherwise, it will spread throughout the entire organization and negatively impact your operations, your culture and your overall results.
In my session, I touched on all of these points. I’m so heartened that the need to establish and maintain civil behaviors at work is in the spotlight. That’s a great start to encourage organizations to assess how their culture and daily behaviors align with their values, what gaps exist, and the steps they must take to bridge those gaps.
Instilling civility is no easy task, but it is a vital goal. Like any change management, it requires a dedicated, structured approach and a long-term commitment. The end result of increased teamwork, greater collaboration and productivity, and reduced risk is more than worth the effort.
When organizations treat civility as valuable as other operational standards, it not only addresses big-shot behaviors; it demonstrates a commitment to ensuring all staff have access to a civil, fair and productive workplace.
