Project Management and Workplace Respect

A recent article on Inc.com provides great practical advice on what to do if a colleague accuses a leader in your workplace of sexual harassment. While the article is focused on North American examples, the content is valuable to all of us. 

Business-savvy organizations and project managers are taking increasingly proactive steps to confront workplace bullying, reinforcing the value of ethical awareness and policies predicated on building trust, protecting employees, and instilling confidence in those who work for the organization and those who do business with them.

Anti-bullying advocates and experts offer tips to companies and project managers. Some of the most practical, proactive tips are the following:

1. Create organizational anti-bullying policies, effective methods to report and investigate alleged bullying, and make training mandatory: All organizations should establish clear and effective bullying policies and procedures for addressing bullying allegations. Training, awareness, and education are critical to the success of such policies. Hire experts to provide initial policy advice and to conduct the mandatory training. It further helps if staff sees members of senior management in training, sending the message of seriousness throughout the organization. If your organization has no anti-bullying policy, project managers should lobby hard for change.

2. Consider long-term project and organization well-being when addressing bullying: There are deep long term impacts on project and organizations. They include reduced likelihood of project success, team, financial, human resource, legal risk, public relations and employee health impacts. Looking beyond just the bully and target helps motivate organizations to deal with the problem - it is far better to proactively and directly address the bullying than to permit spreading poison throughout the organization.

3. Lead by example from the top: From the project manager/leader and organization's highest levels, it should be made clear that bullying isn’t acceptable. Even the slightest hint that it might be tolerated is often enough for a bully to cause damage. So, from the CEO and project managers, all the way down to lower-ranking staff, the message must be one of zero tolerance for bullying.

4. Respond to all types of bullying behavior: Bullying often begins with small actions such as eye rolling, sneering, or demeaning a colleague, either in private or publicly. Although such behavior may seem insignificant, it is unprofessional and project managers must address it immediately. The effects of bullying arise from these types of indignities and often lead to more serious problems if left unchecked.

5. Take bullying claims seriously but proceed with caution: Assuming a bullying allegation is merely a conflict between two coworkers who should sort it out between themselves represents a misunderstanding of bullying. It’s much more one-way and requires authoritative intervention. Take bullying allegations seriously, but don’t assume they’re true —this is for the investigation process will determine. Ensure that you take the initiative to respond and report and let the experts take over.

6. Bullying investigations must be impartial, fair, and fulsome: In order for a project team or the organization as a whole to feel safe and have faith that it takes this issue seriously, it is essential that investigations are unbiased, free from political interference, and result in appropriate responses if allegations are proven. An impartial investigator should be engaged to conduct this sensitive work and be permitted to speak to anyone who may have witnessed the activity. Fair treatment for all victims, bullies, and witnesses is needed to engender trust in the process.

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Discriminatory Workplace Harassment has a legal foundation that is different from workplace bullying.  

It is much more narrow than dictionary or workplace policy defined harassment. While many employers have policies that prohibit workplace harassment, these are separate from and flow directly from the issue of discrimination.

 Erica Pinsky’s book titled Road to Respect: Path to Profit  is helpful. She notes: 

   "Workplace harassment flows from human rights law…and is very specifically  defined...Human rights law was structured in response to historical discrimination in our society." (pages 63 - 68).

  In order for an individual to be deemed to be illegally harassing another at work, the victim must be able to prove that they were targeted for their race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, marital status, or sexual orientation.

It is a form of illegal discrimination and can be defined as “a type of discrimination and means engaging in a course of annoying comments or conduct that is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome, that is tied to a prohibited ground of discrimination and that detrimentally affects the work environment or leads to adverse job-related consequences for the victim of harassment.” (Pinsky, page 66).

If you have questions about workplace harassment, I may be able to direct you to how to get answers.

Excited to be presenting in Orlando on the topic of "Bullying in Project Management - Are you a Victim?".

Encourage anyone who has been impacted by workplace bullying to attend. Hope to see you there!

Excited to see the date for our presentation on Preventing Disruptive Chapter Behavior at the LIM in Orlando. Hope to see you there!