27/10: Are policies around workplace treatment really working?
How good are your workplace policies in achieving the goals they set out in protecting our basic rights and the way we should be treated? We’ve advanced reasonably well on the wages front but when it comes to not being harassed, made fun of, bullied and the list goes on and on, well quite frankly it’s a painfully slow process. More and more we are reading articles in the media that these policies put in place to protect us are nothing more than a bureaucratic system. Just look at the recent case of the suit against David Jones CEO Mark Mc Innes. He was being sued for $37 million dollars by a former publicist for sexual harassment. The case was settled out of court for a reported figure of under a million dollars. From what I read, it was settled and apparently no one was to blame really. (got to love our confidentiality clauses).
But sadly what none of the media ever asked is; “For a company as big as David Jones and all the policies they no doubt had in place around treatment in the workplace, how did their system fail so miserably in letting it get this far?”
In all honesty it really doesn’t matter where you work. If you’re like me, I can never recall a job I worked in without seeing people blatantly forget the workplace policies that are somehow hidden away in some black hole collecting dust.
Why is this the case? Well it’s called human nature. No matter how many times staff may be reminded about policies around the way we treat each other, it seems O.K. to enter the grey areas. Gossip behind someone’s back, ahhhh no problem. Have a go at someone in their work performance, that’s O.K.; after all it’s what I am expected to do.
Even if we think there may be a case to take it further (often with colleagues cheering you on from the sidelines); the road to redemption is difficult. Firstly few colleagues when asked if they would back you up agree to do so as they are concerned about their own position. If you proceed down the legal path, you can expect an employer will be well represented. Bad enough losing a case, worse if you’re stuck with a legal bill.
Sadly in many workplaces the higher up the ladder you progress, the more likely the authority you have will make you feel that you are justified in some of your behaviours/actions. Most workplaces promote people on their ability to get the job done, to make that extra dollar, to streamline the workforce etc.
Very few if any workplaces drum into these very same people the need to read, understand and follow workplace practices around the treatment of their employees. I suspect the only way most workplaces will change is when they are hit with the bottom line, bad publicity and money. If you are lucky enough to work for a place that really follows what it ought to do, wow, you should rush out and buy a lottery ticket.
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But sadly what none of the media ever asked is; “For a company as big as David Jones and all the policies they no doubt had in place around treatment in the workplace, how did their system fail so miserably in letting it get this far?”
In all honesty it really doesn’t matter where you work. If you’re like me, I can never recall a job I worked in without seeing people blatantly forget the workplace policies that are somehow hidden away in some black hole collecting dust.
Why is this the case? Well it’s called human nature. No matter how many times staff may be reminded about policies around the way we treat each other, it seems O.K. to enter the grey areas. Gossip behind someone’s back, ahhhh no problem. Have a go at someone in their work performance, that’s O.K.; after all it’s what I am expected to do.
Even if we think there may be a case to take it further (often with colleagues cheering you on from the sidelines); the road to redemption is difficult. Firstly few colleagues when asked if they would back you up agree to do so as they are concerned about their own position. If you proceed down the legal path, you can expect an employer will be well represented. Bad enough losing a case, worse if you’re stuck with a legal bill.
Sadly in many workplaces the higher up the ladder you progress, the more likely the authority you have will make you feel that you are justified in some of your behaviours/actions. Most workplaces promote people on their ability to get the job done, to make that extra dollar, to streamline the workforce etc.
Very few if any workplaces drum into these very same people the need to read, understand and follow workplace practices around the treatment of their employees. I suspect the only way most workplaces will change is when they are hit with the bottom line, bad publicity and money. If you are lucky enough to work for a place that really follows what it ought to do, wow, you should rush out and buy a lottery ticket.
Item viewed: 25573 times
