Project Management and Workplace Respect

An excellent article in the Globe and Mail Newspaper highlights one of the most useful business ethics case studies in recent history. Barry McKenna writes on September 25, 2015:

"The folks who think business ethics are an oxymoron are probably saying “I told you so,” right about now. ...German auto maker Volkswagen AG admits that it rigged as many as 11 million diesel vehicles to fudge emission tests, apparently turning a blind eye to the environmental and health effects. For all the talk about corporate responsibility, integrity and putting customers first, some companies are still willing to roll the ethical dice when profits are on the line. It’s bad enough that executives at Turing and Volkswagen apparently saw nothing wrong with behaviour that most reasonable people find abhorrent. They also betrayed their own corporate values."

Do you think the world is waking up to the importance of ethics and appreciating that ethics and profits are closely intertwined? 

In a 2014 workplace bullying survey, the gender of bullies was surveyed. The vast majority of bullies are men (69%). Male perpetrators seem to prefer targeting women (57%) more than other men (43%). Women bullies were less “equitable” when choosing their targets for bullying. Women bullied women in 68% of cases. 

Do these results align with your workplace bullying experiences?

Zogby Analytics was commissioned by the Workplace Bullying Institute to conduct an online survey of 315 U.S. business leaders in three market areas: San Francisco, New York City and Washington D.C. The survey was completed January 21, 2013. The answers were enlightening.

Which of the following best describes your opinion of “workplace bullying” (repeated abusive conduct, “status-blind harassment” that is currently legal) ?

The percentages for each response option were:

68% agreed - It is a serious problem

17% answered -  I never heard of it

15% said - It is irrelevant, a non-issue, bullying affects only children

If so many think it's a serious problem, why do you think most project managers tell us their organizations are terrible at managing bullying in their workplaces?

In a 2013 survey conducted by the Workplace Bullying Institute with a group of predominantly women, healthcare, education and government were the 3 top  industries prone to workplace bullying. 

Do you agree? 

Did you know that many countries have made workplace bullying illegal, recognizing it as a workplace safety hazard for employees? If you live and work in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, many of the European Union member states, and most of Canada workers are protected by laws against workplace bullying. Further, as of September 2015, 29 states and 2 territories of the United States have introduced the Healthy Workplace Bill into their legislatures. 

The impact of making workplace bullying a legal issue, rather than just an internal issue to be handled from within an organization is profound.

The world is taking action - how is your organization responding?