#2 Civility in the Workplace

Over the past several years, I have noticed an increasing lack of civility in the workplace.  This is not just happening in the workplace; this bad behavior is modeled by our politicians, on "reality" television shows, and at sporting events -- from the kids' soccer field  to the professional baseball park.  It seems as though we as a society no longer know how to interact with one another and treat each other with respect.

What does civility mean anyway?  The dictionary defines it as the formal politeness that results from observing social conventions.  I personally believe that these social conventions are very important.  Everyone deserves to be heard and to be treated with respect.  It is essential to a healthy workplace.  Leaders modeling bad behavior set the tone for the rules of engagement at work. 

There is nothing more demoralizing to an employee than being ignored; it is equally disheartening to not be listened to, or when you do speak, to be spoken to in condescending manner.  When you witness coworkers being mistreated -- you are happy that it is not happening to you -- but you have been sent a very clear message yourself.  That message is if you speak up or disagree, you too may be the next one to get this kind of treatment.  The objective is to silence anyone who has a different opinion.  This lack of collegial interaction can lead to very poor business decisions, and most certainly leads to bad employee morale. 

Disrespect does not engender a highly motivated workforce.  Employees do not feel empowered to be creative, to give the job their best or to care about the workplace or leader who does not care about them.  Lack of the basic civilities does not promote a happy, healthy workplace nor does it promote happy, healthy employees.  Since employees are the most important asset that a entity has (particularly a civil service organization) it is important that they want to return each day.  And despite the fact that employees will tell you they leave work at their door step when they arrive home each day, their mind and body know that they do not. 

In sharing your thoughts and feelings on this blog site it is important to me that you say what you mean and mean what you say, but do not say it in a mean way.  If we are civil, we can all be heard and respected for our own individual thoughts and feelings -- and trust can grow as a result.  You each have your own unique perspective and unique voice and I want your voice to be heard.  Having said that, I reserve the right to edit out any uncivil or disrespectful comments -- those kinds of comments just get in the way of a meaningful discussion. 

As a very good friend once told me, someone will hate what you have to say; someone will love what you have to say; but someone out there will absolutely need to hear what you have to say -- so say it in such a way that you can be heard.

To be continued.....