Forgiveness Is Key to Rebuilding Trust in the Workplace

This week I came across an article about The Forgiveness Project at Stanford University.

The head of this project is  Dr. Frederic Luskin. In the article he spoke about the importance of forgiveness.

What he has to teach us is key to rebuilding trust in the workplace and helping individuals to retain their power, decrease stress and move forward.

According to Dr. Luskin few of us choose to forgive when people hurt us. Part of the problem seems to be that most of us don’t know how to forgive. This is not something we learn in school.

Dr. Luskin’s research also shows that,

“as people learn to forgive, they become more hopeful, optimistic and compassionate. As people learn to forgive, they become more forgiving in general.”

In addition people who learn to forgive report significantly fewer symptoms of stress!

Forgiving people we work with is also key to rebuilding trust in the workplace.

Don’t confuse forgiveness with condoning bad behavior though.It is important to know the difference.

If you have been treated badly at work by the organization (e g breach of ethical standards, violation of rights, being fired without cause) or by an individual (bullying, harassment) you might want to review Dr. Luskin’s 9 steps to forgiveness:

Step 1: Know exactly how you feel about what happened and be able to articulate what about the situation is not OK. Then tell a couple of trusted friends about your experience.

Step 2: Make a commitment to yourself to do what you have to do to feel better. Forgiveness is for you and not for anyone else.

Step 3: Understand your goal. What you are after is to find peace.

Step 4: Get the right perspective on what is happening. Recognize that your primary distress is coming from the hurt feelings,thoughts and physical upset you are suffering now, not what offended you or hurt you in the past.

Step 5: At the moment you feel upset, practice the use of Positive Emotional Refocusing Technique (check out the learning to forgive website for info about this technique). This is a simple stress management technique.

Step 6: Give up expecting things from other people.

Step 7: Put your energy into looking for another way to get your positive goals met. Instead of mentally replaying your hurt, seek out new ways to get what you want.

Step 8: Remember that a life well lived is your best revenge.

Step 9: Amend your grievance story to remind you of the power you have to create a better story.

Lesley

Integrating Organizational Mission with Core Values Leads to Strong Organizations

Does your organization have a clear mission (purpose) and core values? Are people in the organization held accountable for behaving in ways that are aligned with the mission and values?

Traditionally faith-based organizations have had a clear sense of their mission and core values.

Now non faith-based organizations are discovering the many benefits of being clear on the reason why the organization exists and what values motivate people to fulfill that mission.

 Of course it is not enough just to state the mission and vales. The organization (and the people working in the organization) will only benefit if the mission and values are integrated into the life of the organization. This means that people are held accountable by virtue of how they live the values on a daily basis.

There has been a lot written about organizational mission and values but one of the most interesting approaches to this work comes from Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz.

In their book, “The Power of Full Engagement”, Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz state that a clear mission and core values are THE source of energy and power in an organization.

They provide a list of Organizational Energy Dynamics which I’ve partially included here:

• A corporation (for profit or not for profit) is simply a reservoir of potential energy that can be recruited in the service of an intended MISSION.
• Just as every cell in the human body is important to the overall health and vitality of the body, so every individual is important to the overall health and vitality of the corporate body.
• The most important organizational resource is ENERGY.
• In order for an organization to optimize its potential, four separate but related forms of energy must be recruited in the service of the corporate MISSION: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.
• Because energy in the corporate body is depleted from use, organizational energy expenditure must be BALANCED with energy recovery.
• Organizational energy capacity increases as individuals increase their collective capacity.
• A SHARED SENSE OF CORPORATE PURPOSE, GROUNDED IN UNIVERSAL VALUES, IS THE HIGHEST OCTANE SOURCE OF FUEL FOR ORGANIZATIONAL ACTION.
• Great leaders are experts in mobilizing and focusing all of the energy resources in the corporate body in the service of the corporate mission.

The book is easy to read, well researched and full of practical examples of how both individuals and organizations have benefited by getting in touch with their mission/purpose and values.

Happy Reading!

Lesley

Driving Fear Out of the Workplace

In 1991 Kathleen D. Ryan and Daniel Oestreich wrote a groundbreaking book called “Driving Fear Out of the Workplace”. This was the first book that described in detail how FEAR prevents people from doing their best work.

This was a book about improving quality, productivity and innovation.

Earlier in the the last century W. Edwards Demming wrote that quality is impossible where people are afraid to tell the truth.

Harvard educator Chris Argyris used the term “undiscussables” to describe,

“defensive routines people exhibit in the work environment”.

Others have referred to these “defensive routines” as issues that people are afraid to discuss. 

Even in organizations with policies to protect “whistleblowers” people are still afraid to stand up when they witness negative, unethical or criminal behavior.

I remember going to management meetings in which the “important stuff” was not discussed at the meetings but was discussed later on in hallway conversations or over coffee.

What are people not talking about? Ryan and Oestreich identified the following list of “undiscussable issues“:

• management practice
• co-worker performance
• compensation and benefits
• change
• human resource systems
• individual feelings
• bad news
• conflict
• personal problems
• suggestions for improvement

Think about your workplace. What is not being said? What are you not saying that should be said? How would the workplace improve if people could be honest? Why is it so difficult being honest?

70% of all the people that Ryan and Oestreich interviewed were afraid of repercussions such as:

• loss of credibility
• lack of career or financial advancement
• possible damage to relationship with boss
• loss of employment
• rejection
• change in job role
• embarassment/loss of self esteem
• job transfer or demotion

But what happens to us when we don’t speak up? We compromise our value systems and we create stress for ourselves and others. We end up working in organizations that have no soul.

Speaking up takes courage and it takes skill. Timing is important and so is support. Don’t go it alone if you can help it. Think about the consequences. Who knows, perhaps your leadership will make the difference!

Cheers,

Lesley

How to Write a Code of Conduct

Hello there,

In August last year I wrote about organizational codes of conduct. That post received quite a few hits so I thought I would add to it today. Since August I have also been doing some research into what consititutes a good workplace harassment/discrimination policy. Of course no two policies are alike…

But…it appears that the “best” workplace harassment/discrimination policies start with a clear and understandable “code of conduct”.

Some organizations start with a general code of conduct, e g Canadian Blood Services and then create a “respect in the workplace policy” that sets the stage for the type of work environment that the organization envisions.

The Blood Service’s policy explicitly states,

“It is expected that employees will conduct all interactions with donors, visitors, clients and fellow employees in accordance with our Shared Values of Safety, Integrity, Quality, Respect, Excelling, Accountability and Openness which represent a common set of beliefs about how we work.”

What a mouthful!

The Blood Services then goes on to describe in detail the type of behaviors expected of employees.

Similarly The City of Calgary has also written a “code of conduct” which includes a “Guide to Respectful Workplace Policy”. This respectful workplace policy provides examples of both respectful and disrespectful workplace behaviors.

In summary, codes of conduct are guidelines for the type of behaviors that contribute to a respectful, harassment-free organization.

Most codes begin with the organization’s core values.

If you are just beginning the process of developing a code of conduct for your organization you’ll find plenty of helpful resources on the internet. The Ethics Resource Center website highlighted here has an “ethics toolkit” and “resource articles”.

If you go to the site map at the top of the ERC home page and click on “resources” you will be directed to a page with information on how to write a code of conduct.

Whatever you do DON’T do this alone! You need to get input from all levels of the organization and perhaps from other stakeholders as well. Before you start talking with people be clear about your objectives. What is it that you want the code of conduct to accomplish?

There are many examples of codes of conduct on the internet and you can find these by googling “codes of conduct”.

Some codes are short, e g half a page and some are as long as 25 pages. Some stand alone and some have included detailed respect in the workplace guidelines or policies.

Finally, creating or revising an organizational code of conduct is a rare opportunity to engage your employees in conversations about the type of work environment that is important to them and how they can help each other to really live the organization’s values. Don’t blow it!

Cheers,

Lesley

Transforming the Workplace

Hi, sometimes in order to heal the workplace we have to completely transform it.

This post could also be called “The Little Mill That Could”. Today I’m going to tell you about a success story. This is a story about the Harmac Mill in Nanaimo, B.C.

When we think of healing the workplace we think of healing from job loss, healing from abuse or trauma, or healing from stressful, unhealthy workplace cultures.

When “bad” things happen in the workplace people often need to go through the stages of grief including expressing their anger, their frustration, and their sadness. 

But if healing is to occur action must be taken so that people can move on with their lives.

The Harmac Mill in Nanaimo, B. C. was losing money and was in receivership. I believe that the 230 people who work in the plant AND their families went through a period of “anticipatory grieving” waiting for the plant to close.

But the story has a happy ending!

In July, 2008 a coalition which included employees, managers and investors presented a plan to B. C. Supreme Court Justice Donald Brenner.

The plan was for this coalition to take over the ownership of the mill. What happened next is nothing short of a miracle.

Despite the fact that the bid was not supported by receiver Price Waterhouse Coopers, Justice Brenner ruled in favor of the coalition.

Since then the culture at the mill has changed. The new business model is being seen as a template for the rest of the pulp industry.

Investment analyst Kevin Mason, of Equity Research Associates said that Harmac appears to have achieved a seismic cultural shift by bringing workers on board in the success or failure of the company.

Employee ownership is not a new concept but it has not been accepted by “wall street” or “bay street”.

Perhaps it is time to transform our workplaces with new models and new ways of doing business.

L

Stop Your Boss from Bullying?

Hello there,

This week Globe and Mail columnist Susan Pinker wrote about “Exposing the Bullies at Work”. It seems that there is something on this topic in the news every week.

The interest in bullying is growing!

What I’m interested in is…

How do you stop a boss who is bullying you?

Most empoyers have policies and procedures for dealing with harassment and discrimination.  Discrimination is against the law but bullying seems to be in a different category.

Despite the fact that “workplace bullying is the ongoing health or career-endangering mistreatment of an employee”.

AND about 80% of bullies in the workplace are people in positions of power, e.g. our bosses…I’ve heard very few success stories.

What do I mean by success stories? I’m interested in hearing from people who have successfully taken on their bullying boss and succeeded in getting him/her (it’s usually men) demoted, disciplined or fired.

Preston Squire from Anonymous Employee  suggest the following three-point plan:

1. Name it. Calling it bullying or psychological violence makes the problem external.

2. Take time to check your physical health for signs of stress (high blood pressure?), get some counselling or support, check for violations of employer policies and labor laws (consult an HR profession and/or lawyer) and gather data showing the fiscal impact of bullying in the workplace.

3. Present your business case and evidence to the highest ranking individual at the company or agency.

Preston advises caution because, “taking the direct approach may result in undesireable and unpredictable consequences:

Of people who reported bullying in the workplace, 17 % of targets were transferred, 33 % ended up leaving voluntarily, and 37 % were terminated. In only 13 % of those cases was the bully censored, transferred or terminated.”

So…there are no easy answers…but I would love to hear some success stories. Have you taken on a bullying boss and won? What did you do that made the difference?

Thanks!

Lesley

 

Responding to Workplace Trauma

It is unthinkable that someone could be shot or stabbed to death in the place that you work but it can happen without warning.

I’m talking about workplace trauma the kind that results when something violent happens in the workplace.

Experts say that this kind of violence is rare but when it happens it is “splashed” all over the nightly news and we are left thinking that this is a common occurence.

On December 13th Benjamin David Banky, CEO and co-founder of a business in Vancouver, was gunned down at his office Christmas party. The killer was an angry employee whose employement had been terminated a few days before.

In 2008 a mental health social worker, was stabbed to death by a client, as he was leaving work. 

Of course there are other forms of workplace trauma. 

When something like this happens the important questions are:

“What happens next?”

“What can we do to start the healing process?”

I found the following helpful information on the www. It is from a Federal Gov’t Handbook entitled:

The Workplace: A Comforting and Healing Cocoon.

The handbook states that, “If the workplace is safe and operational, it may be the best place for employees to return to following a traumatic event. Workplaces provide co-workers with an opportunity to:

• meet in a familiar place, surrounded by familiar colleagues
• initiate the grieving process
• console, comfort and reassure one another
• plan a workplace memorial ceremony for those killed
• arrange to visit injured co-workers and meet with their families
• arrange to attend colleagues’ funerals
• set up a relief fund for the families of those killed or injured

In addition to the above the handbook provides the following key emotional support guidelines to assist employees following the event:

• different reactions are natural in situations of stress
• people are resilient and strong
• people need to have time to connect with co-workers
• people need to be reassured that the workplace is safe
• work has a healing value
• recognizing that people will be less productive following a traumatic event
• provide extra help or delay deadlines to take the pressure off

Having a routine provides people with a sense of control.

There are many other resources available to assist workers dealing with trauma in the workplace:

• Employee Assistance Programs or Employee and Family Assistance Programs.
• Chaplains or Pastoral Care Workers (if your organization doesn’t have one on staff contact a local church, mosque or synagogue).
• Critical Incident Stress counsellors (available in many communities–contact your local police department).
• Support from Mental Health Associations (most communities have a mental health association or a chapter of a national association).
• Mental health workers (social workers and psychologists) are often on staff in hospitals or in community mental health centres.

Don’t forget…rituals are important too!

Stay safe, Lesley