By Steve Wiesner November
20, 2019
Given
the rise of corporate reputations blowing up in personnel scandals, and the
speed with which losses can be accelerated by social media, do insurance
carriers need to take a deeper look at workplace culture and risk?
We
conducted a study using a simulation research approach to understand the core
dynamics that drive workplace problems such as harassment and bullying. Instead
of relying on surveys that rarely reflect actual behavior, we enlisted managers
from a range of organizations - large, small and across industries - to
participate in our live, multi-part simulations of real workplace scenarios.
What We
Found
The
data reveal key missing links that cause many organizations to fundamentally
mishandle complaints and, consequently, expose themselves to liability and
erode workplace culture. Most organizations do not realize these mistakes are
being made.
For
example, during the course of the simulated harassment and bullying complaints,
more than 40% of managers neglected to ask questions, repeat key facts and
clarify critical details with complainants, bystanders and alleged perpetrators.
More
than half of managers did not explain to individuals involved in the incident
that the organization has an anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policy in
place. Many of the managers who participated in the simulations lacked a clear
understanding of whether they can, or should, ask employees involved in a
workplace incident to keep the details of the situation confidential.
This is
not a surprise given the conflicting guidance from the National Labor Relations
Board and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. But training needs to be
updated across organizations.
In
addition, training must be designed to teach managers to request participants
in an investigation keep what is discussed during the investigation private and
confidential to protect the integrity of the investigation and to avoid
influencing the recollections and statements of other witnesses or potential
witnesses. That said, managers certainly cannot stop the employees from
discussing workplace conditions — including facts relating to a particular
event or situation.
The
study revealed that managers on the frontline of these tough workplace issues
must have a better understanding of the legal sensitivities around this
important topic, or the organization may be faced with substantial liability.
The
simulations also revealed that the existing approaches to training are not
getting the job done. “Watch this video and answer some multiple-choice
questions” has a role to play but, without application by the learner, the
lessons are not properly internalized. Current live training approaches are too
sporadic and “one-way” to have the intended impact. Training must be optimized
if you expect behaviors to really change.
What
More Needs To Be Done?
Making
changes goes beyond better training, and starts with defining leadership. Do
managers understand what it actually means to drive the culture to a better
place? Do they know what specifically is expected of them when tough workplace
issues arise? Are they held accountable when they don’t meet these
expectations? The first step to address these issues is to give managers clear
guidance and direction.
Don’t
repeat your policies, clarify them. People do not consume content the way they
used to, and yet we continue to rely on lengthy handbooks to convey critical
policies. With legal requirements in mind, important policies must be
communicated to managers and employees in a more digestible, easy-to-understand
way.
We have
serious concerns about whether managers understand their company’s anti-harassment
and anti-discrimination policies. If they don’t understand them, they clearly
cannot explain them to employees dealing with tough workplace issues.
This
data highlights the shortcomings of existing training approaches and how clear
policies and ethical culture is within organizations. Despite the employee
handbook and other policy and procedure documents employees and leaders are
required to read, managers must have a better understanding of the policies
that are in place to protect employees in the workplace. They certainly don’t
need to be experts, but they need to know more than they do today.
Steve
Wiesner is the founder and CEO of pelotonRPM, a human resource training
platform that connects managers and leaders, via their webcams, with professional
simulation specialists who play the part of employees struggling with workplace
challenges such as harassment, bias, discrimination and workplace bullying.
Steve may be contacted at steve.wiesner@innfeedback.com.
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