2009 Leadership Academy www.afpnet.org

Sticky Situations in the Workplace

Reginald J. Henry (Reggie)

Chief Technology Officer

Phone: (202) 326-9547Email: reggie@asaecenter.orgWeb Site: http://www.asaecenter.org

Before we start……

….some Ground Rules

No NamesNo JudgmentHAVE FUN!

….some Ground Rules

Safe Haven Policy

What we discuss here, stays here!

What will we cover today?

Stuff!

Why ME?

F.I.R.S.T. Principles for Communication

F Fact What happened?

I Impact What impact and for whom?

R your Role What personal responsibility?

S Solutions What options to correct the matter?

T Together What next? What mutually acceptable solution would solve the problem?

Opening the Communication Door for “Crucial Conversations”Anita Schamber© 2009 Christian Leadership Alliance

The Board Member’s Friend

What To Do?• If at all possible, avoid this situation.

• Have a policy about this ahead of time.

• Explain to the Board member that you feel obligated to do the same sort of due diligence you would if you were hiring the person.

• Establish that the Board member cannot be involved in the project

Workplace Romance

According to Spherion® research, 36% of U.S. workers would consider dating a coworker if they were single, and 39% have had a workplace romance already.

What It Causes• Perceived favoritism by other employees

• Diminished credibility of the supervisor in the eyes of his/her team

• Lowered employee morale

• Potential conflicts of interest

• Violations of company policy

• Sexual harassment or discrimination claims by other employees

• Sexual harassment or discrimination claims by one of the partners if the relationship ends badly

• Internal gossip and rumors that can impact the overall work environment and the longer term careers of the individuals who are involved in the romance

• Privacy issues associated with employer inquiries into the romance

What To Do?• Know the rules and policies in your organization. If you and a colleague

decide to start dating, you may or may not be obligated to notify your company's human resources department – FIND OUT!

• Consider developing a policy on workplace romances. If you do write such a policy, you'll also need to include the couple's disclosure obligations, the actions the company may take, and the consequences of violating the policy. And it's a good idea to include provisions that reinforce the general expectation of professional conduct from everyone at all times.

• Train your entire workforce about sexual harassment and include the issues raised by romances at work and your standards for professional conduct.

• Provide ethics training to supervisors.• Be prepared to take action against employees who violate your

harassment (or no romance) policy.

Employers who ignore this delicate issue end up with unhappy workplaces where childless workers are always being asked to fill in the gaps for working parents who leave early and say they can't work weekends.

Conflict Between Childless Employees and Working Parents

What To Do?

• Design a rotation system for projects and overtime, and allow equal access to time off without a reason

• Ask the affected employees to get involved in finding the appropriate solution

Ex-employee turns vengeful

What to do?• Plan ahead for ex-employees who could pose a

problem. • Research security companies and know how to

file a restraining order, if necessary. • Treat employees how you would like to be

treated, too. • Release people in the most respectful and

humane way possible to try to minimize this sort of behavior.

Margaret Hart EdwardsEmployment Law Firm Littler Mendelson.

The Bully

Workplace bullying often involves an abuse or misuse of power. Bullying includes behavior that intimidates, degrades, offends, or humiliates a worker, often in front of others. Bullying behavior creates feelings of defenselessness in the target and undermines an individual’s right to dignity at work.

What to do?• Make sure your superiors are aware of your work. Workplace

bullies often try to spread the word that your are not doing your job well. Your actions will carry more weight than his or her words.

• Don't allow the bully to intimidate you or make you feel bad about yourself.

• Log all incidents

• Write down feelings at the time

• Ascertain if there were witnesses

• Contact Designated Contact Person

Workload Increases, Salary Doesn’t

What to do?• Get a copy of and understand your job description

• In very small organizations where this document may not exist, create your own.

• Keep the job ad to which you responded when you applied for your position and consider that to be your job description.

• Remember: If it isn't in writing, it doesn't exist.