Managing Inappropriate Behaviour
In many cases, “workplace banter” can cross the line and quickly become inappropriate. Our work brings clarity to where humour and behaviour tips into something that is not OK, creating clearly defined boundaries.
The way we work with you is built around our 4 key steps:
Create
Apply
Maintain
Inappropriate workplace behaviour is often not overtly discriminatory and may not amount to bullying. The people involved are, in fact, often unaware of the effect they are having. Even so, there is usually something happening to make people feel uncomfortable.
Left unchecked, things can deteriorate until it becomes damaging to workplace relationships and productivity. For example:
- Workplace banter and jokes cross the line, making people feel uncomfortable
- Lack of courtesy amongst team members starting to cause resentment
- Sarcastic comments which are wearing people down
- Behaviour that may be misjudged, but falls under the definition of sexual harassment
- Increased use of instant messaging groups which can quickly stray into inappropriate territory
The move to more flexible working from a variety of locations has only served to blur behavioural lines further than ever.
We work with you to understand what’s going on, the underlying causes and how managing inappropriate behaviour in the workplace can make a difference.
Armed with this knowledge, we design a programme to help bring clarity to where the behavioural lines are and equip everyone to know what to do if they see or experience behaviour crossing the line
Our approaches may include:
- Workshops for team members to help everyone understand what is ok and what isn’t in terms of workplace behaviour and banter and the impact that these can have on others – even when unintended
- Workshops for managers to help them clarify where “the line” is with their team and confidently step in when behaviour starts to cross that line
- Workshops that support a drive for more diverse and inclusive workplaces, such as understanding unconscious bias at work and how biases can lead to stereotypical thinking, inappropriate comments and decisions
- Workshops to help everyone understand what constitutes Sexual Harassment and how to prevent it happening in the workplace
- Our specialist Risk to Reward coaching to support individuals whose behaviour has crossed the line
The combination of approaches we suggest will always include:
- Advice on positioning (we explode a few myths around this subject area, such as “this is political correctness gone mad” and “we can never have a laugh and a joke”)
- Identifying where “the line” is in terms of appropriate and inappropriate behaviour (for example, when does “harmless workplace banter” become inappropriate)
- Raising awareness around the impact of communication – both verbal and non-verbal
- Ensuring we help manage the banter without killing the culture
- Identifying tangible actions which will make a difference
- Ensuring that sessions are led by facilitators who are able to sensitively facilitate discussions on difficult topics, where there are often “blurred lines”
Because research tells us only 15% of participants apply what they have learned, we work hard to support you in following up the workshops and ensuring learning sticks. This is a key point of difference with Focal Point.
Our approach is outcome-orientated at every stage, with a huge emphasis on transferring learning, creating new habits and embedding skills.
Risk to Reward Coaching
When someone in your organisation is behaving in an inappropriate or unacceptable way the risks are huge, to your staff, to the individual, to your reputation and to your bottom line. We have developed a specialist, results-oriented coaching approach from years of working with people whose behaviour is putting other staff, themselves and the organisation at risk.
The behavioural areas we tackle
- Inappropriate behaviour and comments fuelled by alcohol or drugs
- Sexist and racist comments – often brushed off as “banter”
- Inappropriate touching
- Demeaning, undermining and patronising comments
- Aggressive or manipulative behaviour – particularly using a position of influence
We have developed a specialist, results-oriented coaching approach from years of working with people whose behaviour is putting other staff and the company at risk.
Case Studies for Managing Inappropriate Behaviour
Preventing sexual harassment – Carter Backer Winter LLP
Read about how we helped an International tech company tackle it’s “laddish” culture
Read about how we helped Coach a Senior Manager where a complaint of harassment had been brought
Read about how we worked with a Senior Manager whose behaviour became inappropriate when drinking alcohol
What our clients say
“We knew that there was a problem to be solved and it really helped to have an objective, outside team to work with us to find a solution. Changing an old-fashioned culture is never easy but is greatly helped by working with a good professional team.”
“This can be a very grey area for managers and can often put them off dealing with situations. Focal Point’s approach helped the managers gain clarity around where the lines and boundaries should be and understand just how vital it is for them to be role models in this area.”
“Having managed teams of staff for 15yrs, I must say that Focal Point are simply the best training resource that I have ever accessed for team building.”
“When we embarked on this project, I was concerned to make it a really positive experience for everyone – Focal Point really understood this… they have taken time to get to know us and helped us address areas which are often not talked about in organisations and that have made a big impact on everyone.”
“This was a really good example of how we can help clients take a preventative approach to issues, rather than reacting when they find themselves with a tricky situation on their hands. We believe it will make a real difference to reducing the number of incidents they have had to deal with.”
There is a spectrum of behaviour at work that could be classed as inappropriate. Because a lot is dependent on context, the working environment and the working relationship, many people struggle to know when something is not OK – especially with the grey areas of behaviour such as humour and workplace banter. The important element to be aware of is the impact of the behaviour. If it is making someone feel uncomfortable, undermined, or excluded in any way, it is likely to have crossed a line.
Examples of behaviour that we help address are
- Workplace banter and jokes crossing the line
- Lack of courtesy amongst team members starting to cause resentment – for example abrupt, rude, blaming
- Sarcastic comments which are wearing people down
- Sexualised jokes and sexually harassing behaviour
- Demeaning, undermining and patronising comments
- Aggressive or manipulative behaviour – particularly using a position of influence
- Inappropriate behaviour and comments fuelled by alcohol – for example at organisation or third party events
Our article Walk the Line in Edge magazine explains the behaviours that are inappropriate at work and their impact
There are many costs associated with not tackling inappropriate behaviour
Let’s start with the very human cost. Being on the receiving end of inappropriate behaviour can grind you down, causing anxiety, affecting self esteem and leading to the breakdown of working relationships
The financial costs stem from handling grievances, claims of bullying and harassment, tribunal costs and potential compensation payments. The hidden cost of poor behaviour is the time taken in managing inappropriate behaviour and resolving situations that can be highly sensitive, complex and emotionally charged
There is also the financial cost of increased absence rates, higher turnover of staff and drop in productivity
Linked to this is the reputational damage to an organisation – media coverage of inappropriate behaviour will affect the organisation’s ability to attract future talent, maintain trust with its client base – and there may be regulatory bodies to answer to
Cultural cost – if inappropriate behaviour is tolerated it will escalate – and once these behaviours become normalised they can be very hard to undo. The impact of this is that people are much less likely collaborate, offer any discretionary effort, are fearful of speaking up and ultimately look for a new job. Our survey on the impact of inappropriate banter illustrates this.
From a management and organisational perspective, the best action is prevention. Make sure your people know what is Ok and what isn’t. Discuss it. Come to a consensus. Revisit regularly. Respectful workplace training can help facilitate these conversations.
For an individual, handling inappropriate comments at work can be hard. But it is always better to do something rather than nothing. That may be addressing the behaviour yourself – if you feel able to – or asking for someone’s help (Line manager, HR, Champion)
If you witness the behaviour happening to someone else, check how you can support them and encourage them to also take some action. Our workshops get down to the detail of phrases you can use in these situations.
A manager should always act to deal with inappropriate behaviour early and nip it in the bud
Everyone takes their cue from the leaders in their organisation. If leaders and managers are not displaying respectful, appropriate behaviour, why should everyone else?
Leaders should
- ensure their behaviour aligns with their organisation’s values
- role model consistently
- step in where inappropriate behaviour is happening in their own senior leadership team or teams they manage
- encourage all to speak up when behaviour is inappropriate
Our blog ‘Rudeness is a precursor for bullying – so what should leaders be doing?’ gives more practical steps for leaders to take
Any workplace conduct training should help to cultivate more respectful, inclusive behaviour and focus on 4 key areas
- raise awareness around where the tipping points are between what is ok and what isn’t
- ensure people understand that workplaces evolve and expectations around professional workplace behaviour will be different to 10 or even 5 years ago
- ensure people know what the changes in legislation around workplace behaviour are and the part everyone needs to play to ensure compliance
- equip people with the skills and confidence to handle a range of situations where inappropriate behaviour is being displayed
Any dignity at work training should be run regularly, not as a one off
If you need practical guidance on creating respectful workplace cultures, you can also read our page on creating the culture, which outlines clear steps and supportive approaches for managers and leaders.