How can leaders prevent unconscious bias and stop workplace drama effectively?

What are the warning signs of a toxic work culture and how do you fix them?

Discover actionable strategies from Patti Perez’s The Drama-Free Workplace to eliminate toxicity. Learn how to prevent unconscious bias, resolve sexual harassment issues, and build a culture of authenticity using the “Define it, Live it, Color it in” framework. Dive into the full review below to master the legal and leadership strategies necessary to transform your organization’s culture today.

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Millions of people work in toxic environments, but that doesn’t make those places normal or acceptable. Though most organizations acknowledge the benefits of a healthy, functional culture, many managers wonder how to eliminate drama from their workplaces. Attorney and HR executive Patti Perez offers a detailed blueprint for identifying, mediating, and sustaining a productive, respectful culture. While she can be somewhat dry, the substance of Perez’s guidance proves well worth your attention. She capably covers dealing with sexual harassment, ethical dilemmas, and unconscious bias.

Take-Aways

• Talk is cheap when it comes to establishing a healthy workplace culture.
• Misery loves company: Workplace drama will spread until you stop it.
• Investigate dysfunction to uncover its sources.
• Take three steps to build a better culture: “Define it, live it, and color it in.”
• Sexual harassment issues require ongoing intervention.
• Unconscious bias can impede your diversity and inclusion initiatives.
• Disturb the peace and dig deep to find the culprit.

Summary

Talk is cheap when it comes to establishing a healthy workplace culture.

“Workplace culture” is a popular term throughout the corporate world. Studies show that having a strong culture boosts a firm’s bottom line, so it’s no surprise that companies want to create healthy environments. In reality, however, few organizations take the necessary steps to improve and sustain a productive culture.

“Workplace culture encompasses the beliefs, values, and behaviors that guide your company.”

Various factors characterize workplace culture, including employee interaction, employee contentment, corporate policies, office environments, salaries, and benefits. Determine where your culture fits among four basic types:

• Toxic – Substandard compensation and inadequate benefits destroy morale and, sooner or later, sabotage an organization’s chance to flourish.
• Mediocre – Employees receive adequate salaries and benefits, but experience little creativity or motivation beyond getting a paycheck.
• Good – Solid pay, attractive benefits, and caring managers foster an engaged workforce whose members embrace the company’s values and beliefs. These organizations adhere to regulations governing employee relations.
• Healthiest – Leaders and employees demonstrate mutual respect. Leaders practice what they preach and prioritize avoiding workplace drama.

Successful conflict-resolution strategies can help your organization establish a productive, employee-friendly environment. However, companies that fail to address sexual harassment, prejudice, or ethical issues proactively can’t claim to have an exceptional culture.

Misery loves company: Workplace drama will spread until you stop it.

Regardless of how it manifests, workplace drama always generates strife and elevated emotions. While the drama may initially involve only a few people, conflicts spread unless management addresses them immediately.

“The ability to anticipate and plan for drama is a critical skill that is unfortunately missing at most companies.”

Drama that’s allowed to run its course can poison departments, divisions, or entire organizations. Workplace drama typically falls into one of these categories:

• Harassment – In terms of harassing behavior that violates the law, this normally refers to sexual harassment. While disrespecting, bothering, demeaning, or even bullying are unacceptable behaviors, they generally do not qualify as illegal harassment.
• Bias – Managers who show favoritism or incorrectly evaluate an employee’s performance due to his or her gender, ethnicity, age, or other personal factors are guilty of conscious bias. Unconscious or systemic bias emerges when a manager may believe or say that prejudice isn’t driving such negative reactions, but it remains an underlying impetus.
• Perceptions of unfairness – You may believe your workplace is unfair if certain employees can ignore some of the rules others follow or if your boss is hypercritical of your work. The perception of mistreatment indicates a problem that requires investigation, whether the claims of unfair treatment prove incorrect or require some mediation.
• Ethical lapses – Employees display, at the least, a lack of judgment if they accept a gift from a supplier or bypass fair hiring procedures. More serious errors, such as misappropriating company funds, are blatant ethical misdeeds and illegal.

Investigate dysfunction to uncover its sources.

Once you identify drama in your workplace, act promptly, because conflicts can spread and accelerate if you delay trying to resolve them. Move immediately to determine the source of the problem. The causes of dysfunction include:

• Inauthentic leadership – Employees are aware when their manager is talking a good game, but has no substance. Such hypocrisy erodes trust and dampens enthusiasm.
• Problem-solving deficit – Inauthentic leaders are normally incapable of implementing solutions fairly and consistently. Employees eventually realize their boss is not behaving justly.
• Persistent confusion: unfair or illegal – If leaders demonstrate an ongoing inability to resolve conflicts, employees may find it necessary to call for an internal investigation, take legal action, or publicize their grievances on social media.
• Lack of transparency – Some companies believe withholding information they deem “confidential” will protect them against lawsuits. In fact, employees catch on when managers are lying or covering up information. Dishonesty only makes things worse.
• Culture of complicity – Lack of communication and an atmosphere of distrust perpetuate poor behavior. Neither side believes the other, making it impossible to agree on a mutually acceptable resolution. People are unwilling to apologize or admit they made a mistake. Productivity and morale continue to deteriorate, turnover increases, and the corporate brand suffers.

Just one of these issues – not to mention a combination of these problems – can seriously damage your organization.

“Practicing profound authenticity is the first step on the path to a drama-free workplace.”

Lack of authenticity is the number-one reason drama undermines organizations. Managers can talk all they want about practicing inclusiveness and diversity, and they can investigate every claim of harassment. But all too often, employees will report an unfair situation only to find that no one ever addresses it.

Take three steps to build a better culture: “Define it, live it, and color it in.”

Follow this three-step process for creating an honest and upstanding culture:

• Define it – You have to know your values before you can live them. What attracts leaders and employees to your organization? What makes your company stand out? Your values need to be consistent. Commercial enterprises must make a profit to thrive, but if that is your organization’s only objective, then don’t claim to seek employees who will commit to your purpose or values.
• Live it – Authenticity is crucial. If integrity is a stated priority, then investigate every ethical lapse. The hours and money you invest in defining your culture will go to waste if you deviate from your policies or purpose.
• Color it in – Emphasize the connection between your corporate culture and its purpose. Provide a handbook or document that explains what your employees can expect from you – and what you expect from them. Discuss values during performance reviews, hiring interviews, and coaching sessions.

Sexual harassment issues require ongoing intervention.

The issue of sexual harassment in the workplace came to the forefront in 1991 when law professor Anita Hill testified during the Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. Hill, who had worked for Thomas at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, stated he had invited her out, discussed pornography, and engaged in “other sexually charged conversations at work.”

“(Hill’s) testimony was considered then (and is considered now) to be a watershed moment in the fight against workplace sexual harassment.”

Women who had faced similar experiences on the job had hoped Hill’s testimony would trigger widespread reforms. Hill succeeded in raising awareness, but immediate policy changes proved largely superficial. Sexual harassment continues to be an issue in many workplaces.

On October 10, 2017, a well-reported New Yorker article by Ronan Farrow described numerous instances of sexual assault and harassment by influential Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. The article and other coverage of Weinstein sparked an outcry and marked the beginning of the #MeToo movement. More women stepped forward with accounts of Weinstein’s abusive behavior. They described how their co-workers and other leaders refused to intervene. In the ensuing months, women in a variety of industries spoke of demeaning experiences with powerful bosses.

“Most harassers harass because they can…How can we flip the script so that it is clear that they can’t?”

Essentially, illegal sexual harassment occurs when a superior threatens an employee’s job for refusing to comply with sexual advances. The law also protects people from a “hostile work environment” including “physical, verbal or visual” sexual harassment. According to a recent Pew Research Center study, 60% of women indicated they’ve been sexually harassed.

To eliminate sexual harassment in your workplace, follow this five-step plan:

• Promote a culture of precise communication – Be crystal-clear about your expectations. It’s not enough to state that your organization prohibits harassment. Indicate you will aggressively investigate reports of misconduct and swiftly take appropriate remedial actions.
• Develop a culture of courage – Let everyone know that the company takes a proactive approach to this issue. Encourage employees to speak out respectfully and honestly. Make sure leaders of HR and other departments understand the advantages of intervening right away.
• Cultivate a culture of truth-telling – Employees who feel they can’t be honest will find other outlets to express themselves, such as social media, employment websites, or blog posts. Don’t allow problems to fester. If you hear a complaint about someone’s behavior, take action.
• Foster a culture of equity and inclusion – Do not allow sexual harassers to infect your culture. Failing to confront troublemakers will erode morale and hurt your brand.
• Create a culture of continuous learning – Eliminating sexual harassment or any other unacceptable behavior is an ongoing process. Create timelines for documenting your organization’s progress. You may need to make a few adjustments along the way.

Unconscious bias can impede your diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Diversity – particularly at the leadership level – has a positive impact on economic performance. Organizations have pressing and practical reasons for investing in diversity and inclusion programs. Sadly, for the most part, efforts to hire more women and members of minority groups have fallen short. Yet many companies have developed improved strategies for diversifying their workforce and making every employee feel valued.

“The reality of unconscious bias and the ways in which it affects our decision-making is well-chronicled.”

Making decisions strictly on the basis of common sense and an objective evaluation of the facts is nearly impossible for anyone. Unconscious bias – the way individuals regard particular groups of people – inevitably influences most managers’ attitudes. People make assumptions, sometimes without realizing it, on the basis of “gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, physical attractiveness, level of education, and socioeconomic status.” Consequently, unconscious bias affects critical work decisions, such as hiring and firing. But it shouldn’t.

Leaders generally believe that they are making choices based on logical parameters and empirical data, but research indicates that far more factors are involved. For example, “affinity bias” is the tendency for people to seek a connection with those who share similar interests, experiences, and even physical attributes. This means managers may subconsciously overlook qualified job candidates in favor of candidates they relate to more easily.

“We’re making flawed decisions if they are based on unconscious influences that should have no bearing in the decision-making process.”

As a result, an organization claiming to prioritize diversity and inclusion may instead hire cookie-cutter applicants to maintain its status quo. If your company can’t demonstrate its commitment to diversity and inclusion, don’t claim it does until you get it right. Practice authenticity in everything you do.

Disturb the peace and dig deep to find the culprit.

In striving to achieve a drama-free workplace, learn which events or circumstances pose the biggest threats to peace.

“Dealing with their own pressures, leaders may be driving cultures that call on people to cut corners.”

Here are the most common drama producers:

• Corporate change – Change is difficult for most people, but reorganization can be particularly challenging for those it directly affects. Try to lower the heat by involving line managers and employees in making decisions and solving problems. Front-line workers’ input is crucial.
• Bad hiring practices lead to bad hiring decisions – Recruiting and hiring require skill and preparation. You can’t simply show up at a job fair and shop for people you like. Organizations should clearly identify the “knowledge, skills, and abilities” they require from a candidate. Train your hiring managers to ask the right questions, so you end up with the right people.
• Failure to observe, analyze, and course-correct – Unless your operation is small, you need a formal system for collecting information that enables you to make intelligent, data-based decisions. Having complete information lets you tweak your strategies and address issues that affect specific departments and individuals.

About the Author

Patti Perez is vice president of workplace strategy for Emtrain, a technology-driven HR culture and compliance company.