Workplace Fairness and Dignity

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To create a positive workplace culture, top leadership must model civility and the expected behaviors.

In this episode,  I talk about Governor Andrew Cuomo’s behavior toward his staff, as it has come to light. How did he, and how do others get away with abusive behavior for a long time? Enablers are required.

Also discussed, workplace surveys from a variety of sources:

•EVERFI/HR.com Research Institute survey which says 40 percent of employees agree their organization is toxic, and 55  percent agree their leaders aren’t good at preventing problems before they start.
•84 percent of employees that think they have a positive workplace culture, have leadership that live out the company’s values, that is, leadership walks the talk.
•Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and the Ethics and Compliance Initiative (ECI) found in their report, The High Cost of a Toxic Workplace Culture, from a 2019 survey that 60 percent of workplace misconduct came from managers; and in the previous 5 years 1 in 5 employees left their job due to a toxic workplace culture. (For more information, visit the SHRM blog https://www.talkworkculture.com/)

Takeaways:
•Abusive workplace behavior is costly to employee health, to business success and profitability.
•The topmost leadership needs to model the behaviors that promote healthy workplace behaviors.
•Create a code of conduct that’s required of everyone. In the workplace people bring their experiences and backgrounds into a new environment, let people know what’s expected of them, and measure them and the organization on these expectations.

Music: New Orleans Country Clarinet Shuffle, John Covert; Landscape, Adrian Berenguer;  Oz Funk Full Solo, William Newman; Latin Spanish Salsa Music, Bobby Cole; Smoky Jazz, Bobby Cole; Such a Swingin’ Good Time Neil Cross.

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This episode of Workplace Fairness and Dignity is about bullying behavior: Who are the bully’s targets, how to recognize the behavior, and navigating how to address it with future employers after leaving your job due to bullying. Information can be found at the Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI) at https://workplacebullying.org. 

Additional topics include:

WBI’s outline of the profile of typical targets of workplace bullies, and why the person that Human Resources considers the ideal worker is often a bully’s target;

Steps to take and what not to do when dealing with a workplace bully, according to WBI;

How to approach the issue of why you left a place where you dealt with an abusive work environment, and the question of references when addressing questions about your former employer; 

How I found some inspiration in a TV character, Mr. Bevis. 

Music: Martini Magic, Jazz Trio Jam by Matthew Shaker; Cuban Party Theme by Bobby Cole; Thursday by Jason Donnelly; Fun, Retro, Upbeat by Vladyslav Krotov; Landscape by Adrian Berenguer; Bizet’s Habanera by Keith Anthony Holden; Geminiani Concerto (Public Domain); Get Outen Mine  Face Der Funk by Patrick Smith. 

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This episode of Workplace Fairness and Dignity is about bullying behavior: How it’s viewed by organizations; the role of Human Resources (HR) and the limited role HR may play in addressing the behavior; the reasons people bully at work and why they get away with the behavior. The information is from the Workplace Bullying Institute at https://workplacebullying.org.

Additional topics covered:

From the Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI):

·       How to recognize bullying, including the various tactics used by perpetrators 

·       WBI on what workplace bullying is, and what it is not 

·       The story of how the Institute came to be from the bullying experienced on the job by one of the founders, a clinical psychologist, by her boss who was also a clinical psychologist

·       Profile of bullying targets

The story of the Chief Executive who kept his word and fired an employee who directed inappropriate, abusive behavior at another professional;

A reminder of Professor David Yamada’s writing about how bullies can escape management notice by their learned skill at kissing up and kicking down;

Abusive people in the workplace could quite possibly be garden-variety psychopaths – there’s mention of “The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson;

How to talk about your former employer after you have left the bullying organization.

MUSIC: Happy, Groovy Power Pop, by Bobby Cole; Slap It All Around, by Neil Cross; Orchestral Final, by Tencher Music; Swing Days, by Bobby Cole; Adventures in Fine Dining, by Julian Mogavero; Midnight Instrumental, by Paul Mitchell Beebe; Swing Days, by Bobby Cole. 

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Hi, thank you for visiting my podcast. My first podcast, "From Fired to Fired Up" generated quite a bit of interest and so this week, I am working on content for future podcasts, and doing some tweaking so that I can speak more to the topics discussed on the first podcast. I will be back next week with a new, full episode, and I look forward to having you listen! Please do tune in! 

MUSIC: Swinging Lounge Bar, by Neil Cross 

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Hi: Thank you for tuning in! 
 
 This episode discusses employee survey responses when organizations have asked for their employees' input. Much of the topic centers around what Energage has learned from their experience with employee input. Energage is hired by organizations to conduct employee surveys and the results of these surveys lead to the annual list of companies that end up on the list, "Great Place To Work". Information includes:

 -Nine qualities listed by Energage that make “A great place to work”

-An article, “What Makes and Employer a Great Place to Work” written by Mark Feffer for the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM)

-Quotes from HR professional when SHRM asked what they think makes a great place to work

MUSIC: Piano, Singer, Songwriter, Power Pop, by Bobby Cole; Singin’ The Blues, by Lance Conrad. 

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Hi: Thank you for tuning in! 
 
 This episode is the follow up to a story I talked about in the second half of the last podcast. The story was about a top government official in Canada who was forced to resign from her job when accusations of abusive behavior and maintaining a toxic work environment forced a workplace investigation which became public. 

Information I cover in this episode include: 

-what current and former staffers said about the work environment the official presided over;

-the resulting report by an outside consulting company that investigated the allegations;

-the reaction by the official to the reports of her behavior;

-lack of thorough vetting that could have predicted her performance related to how she led staff in the job;

-how exceptions to policies can backfire in a costly way;

-how protecting poor managers can be costly.

I posted a bit more on my blog some of the information that I discussed on the podcast: https://workplacefairnessanddignity.blogspot.com/. Do stop by.

MUSIC: The Soul of Motown, by Bobby Cole; Slide the Guitar, by Neil Cross; Fun, Retro, Upbeat, by Vladyslav Krotov; Snap, Swing, by Diego Martinez; Swinging Lounge Bar, by Neil Cross; Bizet’s Habanera, by Keith Anthony Holden; Geminiani Concerto Grosso Classical – Worldwide Public Domain; Snap Swing Stinger, by Diego Martinez

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This episode discusses, in the first half, research findings on how workplace abuse increases during economic downturns, such as that caused by the current COVID-19 pandemic, and the types of people on the job -- employees and supervisors-- that engage in that behavior. It also discusses the researchers' recommendations on how organizations should implement policies that combat workplace abuse. (Time: 1 min - 8 min 49 sec) 

Additional information on topics in this section:

What defines an abusive organization;

Employment laws do not protect employees from workplace abuse (unconnected to discrimination in the workplace);

Why managers and supervisors exhibit abusive behavior;

Researchers’ recommended solutions to abusive workplace behavior;

The cost to an organization from abusive management behaviors .
 
 
The second half discusses a current story of a high-level official forced to resign when her bullying, harassment and creation of a toxic work environment went public through current and former staffers.  (Time: 8 min 50 sec - 18 min 43 sec) 

Additional information on topics in this section:

The dollar cost of poor managers to U.S. organizations, according to Gallup;

Recommendations about how that lost revenue could be spent creating a healthy workplace culture, including promoting a zero-tolerance policy for bullying behavior;

Today’s segment is dedicated to the Chief Executive who told his staff on national television: If I hear you treating with disrespect or talking down to any other employee no matter what level position they hold, I will promise I will fire you on the spot. 

Materials referenced in podcast:

Ebeid, F., Kaul, T., Neumann, K., Shane, H. (2003) Workplace Abuse: Problems And Consequences. Workplace Abuse: Problems And Consequences. International Business & Economics Research Journal (IBER), 2(6). https://doi.org/10.19030/iber.v2i6.3811 

Bassman, Emily, & London, Manuel (1993). Abusive managerial behavior. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 18-24. 

Powell, Gary N. (1998) The abusive organization. Academy of Management Executive, 12(2), 5, 95-96. https://doi.org/10.5465/ame.1998.650520

MUSIC: Strut That Way by Will Van De Crommert; Do the Funky Strut, by Bobby Cole; Laid Back Jazz Music Theme by Bobby Cole; Bossa Zone; Morning Sun, by Will Van De Crommert;  Hip Hop Power Rap, by Bobby Cole.

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Welcome to my first podcast on Workplace Fairness and Dignity. This launch tells of how I went from fired to podcast. And so in that spirit, I am calling this, my introductory piece: From Fired to Fired Up! On it you’ll hear the following:

A primer on who I am/brief biography;

How I went from fired to launching a podcast;

How I came into the position from which I was fired, and my firing by Webex one year later;

Why I launched this podcast, why I think the topic of workplace dignity and fairness needs to be promoted;

How workplace dignity and respect is considered a “revolutionary” concept and why there needs to be a paradigm shift, normalizing respect and dignity in the workplace;

Things I have learned on this topic, including who tends to bully, and who they bully, including the breakdown by gender.  

Materials referenced in this episode:

Clutch is a ratings and review company for IT marketing and business services companies. The website for Clutch is clutch.co  https://clutch.co/)

2017 Workplace Bullying Institute U.S. Workplace Bullying Survey, Gary Namie, PhD, Research Director. https://workplacebullying.org/download/2017-wbi/ 

Pfeffer, Jeffrey. Dying For A Paycheck. HarperCollins  (2018). 

Pfeffer, Jeffrey (2018, May 2) How your workplace is killing you. BBC.com. https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20180502-how-your-workplace-is-killing-you

Yamada, D. (2008) Workplace Bullying and Ethical Leadership. Values Based Leadership Journal. 1(2).  http://www.valuesbasedleadershipjournal.com/issues/vol1issue2/yamada.php

MUSIC: Vintage Background Jazz Atmosphere by Volodymyr Piddubnyk; Funky Brass Time by Jason Donnelly; Morning Sun by Will Van De Crommert.