You might be surprised to learn that dignity and respect at work is one of the topics most frequently requested by our clients – either as an eLearning course or as a facilitated classroom training session.
But, almost as often, people ask: “Why on earth do we need a Dignity and Respect at Work eLearning course? Surely, it’s obvious that we should be polite to each other?”
It’s very easy to assume that all is well when it comes to a workplace’s culture and the behaviours that staff experience every day from their colleagues. Too many organisations fail to explore what dignity and respect really mean – what they look like in practice, and what happens when they aren’t present in our workplaces.
We shouldn’t take it for granted that dignity and respect are the norm because the potential implications and the potential missed opportunities are significant – for individuals, for teams and for organisations.
Why dignity and respect at work matters
So why do we need to keep this topic in view and ensure that everyone is on the same page?
- Dignity and respect drive employee engagement, performance and productivity
- They are a foundation for employee wellbeing
- Dignity and respect at work enable colleagues to build strong, trusting and fruitful relationships, and improve team dynamics
- They also help to reduce workplace tension. In fact, a 2020 report by the CIPD found that lack of respect is by far the biggest trigger of conflict at work
- Without dignity and respect, there’s little to no chance you’ll create an inclusive and safe workspace
What are the signs that dignity and respect at work are lacking?
If you spot any of these tell-tale signs, or uncover these themes through engagement surveys (or other data sources), you should take a closer look at whether your employees are concerned about a lack of workplace dignity and respect:
- Poor communication
- A sense of exclusion
- Micromanagement
- A lack of trust
- Low morale
- High staff turnover
- Instances of bullying, harassment or discrimination
Want to get actionable insights from your people data? Our HR analytics software is here to help. Discover more
Seven steps to show dignity and respect at work
We all have a role in supporting and showing dignity and respect at work. Here are some suggested actions to get you started:
- Know your organisation’s values and ‘live’ them
- Be fair, principled, authentic and honest. Act with integrity
- Show upfront regard for colleagues’ feelings, personal circumstances, wishes and rights
- Think about the language you use and about your ‘small behaviours’. How might these make others feel?
- Act with kindness and care
- Listen to others. Have patience and an open mind
- Know your organisation’s procedures for responding to, and/or reporting disrespectful behaviour. Commit to using these when you need to
Emphasise the importance of dignity and respect at work with innovative eLearning from Ciphr
We’ve launched a new Dignity and Respect at Work eLearning course that explores the subject from fresh angles. We’ve moved away from dignity and respect being just about anti-bullying or anti-harassment topic. Instead, we also look at:
- The relationship between dignity and respect
- Current workplace and societal challenges such as polarised views, toxic and exclusionary language, microaggressions, incivility, power dynamics, and free speech
Why not take a look? Claim your free trial of our Dignity and Respect at Work training course now.
Or, if you want to explore facilitated training options, bespoke training course options, or just to chat through your challenges and potential solutions, get in touch!
About the author
Ann Allcock is our head of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at Ciphr. She leads our DEI training and consultancy offer, including our DEI audit and analysis service, and leads on creating our DEI eLearning courses.