In this article
The people I work with treat each other with respect, regardless of how similar or different they are.
Survey Domain: Organization
Survey Theme: Employee Respect
Understanding the Issue: The first step is to understand the issues behind the survey performance scores. Unless you are absolutely sure that you understand the issues related to a particular survey item, the best place to start is identifying them, and the section Understanding Issues can help you do so. The activities described in Understanding Issues can be used for any of the survey items.
A low score on this item could mean the team needs to develop respect among team members. For this item, the changes and solutions must come directly from your employees. It is their perception and their behaviors that are important.
Improvement ideas:
Ask a representative from the Office of Diversity & Inclusion to facilitate diversity training that will lead to dialogue among your employees regarding why the team feels a lack of respect amongst the group. Their examples should be observable behaviors, something they have heard, felt or seen. If you have questions about employees' examples, ask, "What does the behavior you describe look like?"
Provide individuals or teams access to workshops incorporating resources such as personality indicators, behavioral models, and conflict management Instruments, which can be useful in addressing inclusion, engagement and team dynamics.
Avoid the appearance of disrespect. Ask team members what disrespect looks like to them. Be aware that respect and disrespect are seen and experienced differently based on diversity dimensions including culture, race, ethnicity, age, language, etc. Recognize employees who provide straightforward feedback; it takes courage for them to speak up.
Respond politely, maintain professionalism at all times, avoid telling jokes or making offhanded remarks that could offend others, and apologize promptly if you make careless comments.
Be honest with yourself. If you have problems showing respect to individuals or to certain groups of people, add to your performance goals tasks or ideas on how you can change your perspective and then change your behavior so that you show respect to all employees. Start this process by showing respect for team members' ideas even those you disagree with or don’t understand.
Resources
Crucial Conversations, a product of 'Vital Smarts', www.vitalsmarts.com
Harvard "Implicit Association Test" https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/demo/
Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands, 2nd Ed., Terri Morrison and Wayne A. Conaway
Leading in Black and White: Working Across the Racial Divide in Corporate America, Ancella B Livers and Keith A. Carver
Micro-Messaging: Why Great Leadership is beyond words, Stephen Young
(MI 616)