In 2023 as part of Workology Co’s service to our clients, I conducted several workplace investigations.
Interestingly, all of those investigations had several common learnings; funnily enough, all the learnings relate to factors that are necessary ingredients of exceptional workplace culture.And being the thoughtful workplace culture nerd (and keen blogger) that I am, I thought it would be helpful to share what I have learned from these most recent investigations.BTW no, of course I am not going to share details of either the companies involved, let alone the names of any individuals.Because confidentiality is key when it comes to investigations - and when writing blogs about them.In summary, the shared learnings are:
- Setting clear expectations is crucial AND feedback skills must be taught and practised regularly.
- Remote / global workforces have to be even more vigilant about clear and constant communication and mindful of differences.
- HR must be absolutely impartial - and SEEN to be acting impartially.
Now let’s look at those in turn.
1 A) Setting clear expectations is crucial
Whenever a new starter commences in their role, it is essential that their team leader or manager sits down with them and outlines in very clear terms what the manager expects of the new recruit.No, it is not good enough to simply assume your new starter has read their Position Description and therefore knows what is expected of them.At the very least, you need to clearly establish Key Performance Indicators or Goals that you have outlined and explained.These should be quarterly, half-yearly, and annual goals.
The outlining of goals should happen via a two way conversation, where the new starter is able to ask questions and seek clarification where required; and where you should walk away from said conversation feeling 100% certain that your new starter completely understands their goals, as well as the link between their individual goals and the team and organisational goals.
Next, you should be diarising regular catchup sessions with your new starter.Initially, you should be having informal catch ups with your team member weekly, with more formal catch ups happening on a monthly basis, moving to quarterly after the first three months.You should ALWAYS be available to answer any questions your team member(s) may have. Even if you can’t answer them immediately, you must be committed to answering them ASAP.Once those catch ups are scheduled into your calendar, they should not be cancelled unless for absolute emergencies.Let me repeat - ONLY IF YOU ARE DEALING WITH AN EMERGENCY SITUATION.Cancelling scheduled sessions with team members (especially when they are new to the role) is bad for several reasons.Including that it sends a message that the team members are unimportant and not valued; and it means that there is room for miscommunication and unclear expectations to enter the relationship.
1B) Learning how to - and engaging in - giving feedback.
The second part of the requirement for clear communication is the need for managers to give (and receive) feedback.I’ve said it before, and I have zero doubt I will say it again.
Feedback is one of the top three skills that managers / team leaders must utilise, and yet it remains one of the biggest causes of problems in organisations of all shapes and sizes.
When managers don’t know how to appropriately give feedback, they either give little to no feedback, or stuff up the feedback they do give.Which can lead to not only unclear communication about expectations, but can also result in team members feeling they are being micromanaged, undermined, demeaned, belittled, overworked, burnt out etc etc - and ultimately can lead to the said team member lodging a formal complaint against their manager which requires investigation.BTW No, I’m not just saying this because training managers on how to give and receive feedback is one of my favourite things to do. Although yes, it is. And if you want to know more, click here.
2. Remote / global workforces have to be even more vigilant about clear and constant communication and mindful of differences
In this post pandemic world in which we live, remote / hybrid work is a reality for most organisations.And when your workforce includes team members who do not physically work in the same office or location as each other, let alone in the same country, then you need to take extra care to ensure not only that expectations are 100% made clear as per point 1 above; but you also need to be mindful of the following:A) Increase frequency and timeliness of communication from leadershipDo not underestimate the importance of regular communication from all levels, and always adapt a 'more is best' mindset, especially from the leadership team.
“As a rule of thumb: the more emotionally charged a message is likely to be, the more personal and frequent the messaging around it should be.” [quantam workplace]
B) Deliberately build connectionThe infamous water cooler conversations became infamous for a very good reason, one we probably did not fully realise until lockdowns put an end to those chats.These conversations were a way for colleagues to build connections slowly but surely with each other, and in turn, develop trust. Therefore in a remote / hybrid work environment, you need to make absolutely sure that you are focusing on deliberately building connections amongst team members given that water cooler conversations will not be happening.A mate of mine has a real life example of this in action.*Mac began a new Business Development role during one of Melbourne’s long lockdowns in 2021. His new manager came on board a couple of months later towards the end of 2021; and for many months at the start of 2022, despite living in the same city, Mac was unable to meet her face:face. [caption id="attachment_3417" align="alignnone" width="400"]
This is not actual footage of Mac. Although it could be...[/caption]Despite many requests to do so.Because his manager preferred to work from home almost full time (despite the business encouraging employees to come into the office 1 - 2 days per week at the time).Mac vented to me after he had messaged his manager on Monday asking for some time to workshop ideas ahead of a client meeting Mac had scheduled on Thursday. Mac never heard back from his manager till after the meeting. Now if they had been in the same office one day that week – there’s a quick conversation in the manager’s office, via the proverbial water cooler, or even on a mutual walk to get coffee. Issue sorted.Unsurprisingly (at least to this culture nerd), Mac left this job shortly after this incident, because he felt completely disconnected from his manager, as well as unappreciated, unsupported, unheard and unacknowledged.Keen for more remote and hybrid work guidelines? Then stay tuned for my upcoming book, The ABC of Exceptional Workplace Culture scheduled for launch in March 2024. There is a chapter dedicated to exactly this in the book.
3. HR must be impartial - and SEEN to be acting impartially.
Relevant case law and WHS Codes of Practice outline employer obligations to prevent 'Psychosocial hazards at work'.
‘Hazards’ may include role overload, role underload, role conflict or lack of clarity, low job control, conflict or poor workplace relationships between workers and their managers, poor support from managers.
Providing a psychologically safe work environment is therefore a mandate for organisations, as well as being a crucial ingredient of high performance culture [just ask Google and their years long research into the ingredients of high performance teams known as Project Aristotle].All of which means that your employees need to feel safe to speak up at work; even if what they are saying is somewhat controversial, negative, or by way of making a complaint against senior members of staff. Or the Executive.HR has a very important role when it comes to listening to employee complaints and grievances; and with this responsibility comes the onus of impartiality, both real and perceived.One of the biggest inhibitors of providing a psychologically safe work environment is when people are afraid to speak up about alleged misbehaviour, because they perceive that the person they wish to complain about is apparently friends with “HR”, and don’t know who else to turn to.
I have acted in several HR internal roles, and I know that it can sometimes feel like a lonely seat to fill (especially if you are the only HR resource). So please understand that I am not suggesting you can’t have friends at work if you work in a HR role.Rather, my caution to you is that you be mindful of WHO you are friendly with (including who you are perceived to be friendly with).And always make sure it is well known that if someone doesn’t feel you are the right person to complain to because of a perceived friendship or alliance within the business, then who /what are their other options to speak to, both within the business and including external bodies / consultants?Keen to know more about how your business can create a high performance culture, where workplace investigations are minimal to none existent?Well you’ve come to the right place. Because as an adept investigator and workplace culture expert, I will not only address the specific issues prompting the investigation but can also provide recommendations for any broader and underlying concerns identified during the process. Book a time in here and let’s chat.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]