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The Need for a Skill

Guest post by: Geoff Flemming

Article Overview: Dealing with harassment and bullying within a workplace is sometimes a motivation problem as well as an ability problem.

The Need for a Skill

The Need for a Skill

We hadanexperience with an interstate organisation working through issues of intimidation and harassment in their factory.What made the situation difficult was that the harassment was covert and very much undercover.

Unfortunately like many similar situations the managers had foundthis difficult to dealand it had gone untended - which in a way gave tacit agreement that this sort of behaviourwas OK. Eventually they hadtried raising awareness, counselling,as well asmotivating staff to speak up when they experienced intimidation. In many ways this just worsened the situation.

What they found were two fundamental challenges:

1. It is very difficult to stop bullies from doingwhat they do best - being bullies!

2. The second and most important was this. Most of the staff were ALREADYMOTIVATED to want to speak up!They could clearly see theproblemand understood the negative impact that it was having upon them and their workplace. Thechallenge was that they didn't knowHOW to speak up!

Worldwide research from the VitalSmarts Corporation around workplace safety resulted in the article entitled 'Silent Danger'. Aquote from the research indicates the missing element in workplace safety. "Silent Danger shows the tragic secret behind most workplace injuries is that someone is aware of the threat well in advance, but is either unwilling orunable to speak up".

Whilst workplaces are steepedinsafety signage and reminders, high visibility wear, safety glasses,audible and visible indicators and training inWorksafe practices- yet the research indicates 93% of organisations are at risk of avoidable workplace accidents.

Research found that whenstaff and particularly senior staff usedunsafe practices,those who witnessed the breach didn't know how to speak up without appearing confrontational and/orperhaps jeopardising their jobs.

With the organisationexperiencingtheintimidation situation, people felt that they did not know how to confront these incidents without appearing confrontational themselves. Motivating staff only worsened the situation - they were already motivated.

So in understanding what thereal problem was,the answerneeded to be much more than just training and awareness:

• Help thestaff to understand that there was indeed a way of speaking up and doing so respectfully. Then equip them with a specific set of skills
• The managers became the role models in using these skills and further trained and supported the staff in using them
• Using the skill set also becamean essential part of the agendaof daily toolbox meetings
• Staff who were seenusing these skills were publicly recognised by senior managers

In timeusing these skills were part of what everyone did everyday and the problem disappeared.This new found skill set helped to not only resolve their current issues but helped them to be more effective in a whole range of situations.

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Article Tags: Business Coaching, Crucial Conversations, high performance teams harassment, leadership training, motivation



Related Forum Posts
Re: 21 Ways To Get New Customers In A Slow Economy - Thanks Evan, Your ideas are full of wisdom required for a time like this. I`ll like to add another idea to your list : Update your Knowledge and Sharpen your Skill on a daily basis. The economy may be considered slow,but customer awareness is on the increase,therefore,if the pocket (disposable income) of the proposed new customer is of any interest to you,then you must stay ahead by at least one step in your skill and knowledge. The 21 ways as listed by Evan is a sure way to increase in knowledge and sharpen you skill.


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