The Courage to Speak Up

"Six months ago we won a large contract. This has greatly increased the pressure on our managers to get results. Managers are now treating most junior staff appallingly to get the work done. What should I do?"

Have the courage to speak up.

Why? Their behavior is unethical, contravenes employer obligations and ultimately damages people.

According to Dictionary.com Ethics is ‘therulesofconductrecognisedinrespecttoa particularclassofhumanactionsoraparticulargroup.’ In this case it is the managers actions towards the group of junior staff and the rules of conduct are not being followed.

So what are the rules of conduct?

Most companies have a Code of Conduct document or Guidelines which comprises employee responsibilities and proper practices within the workplace. This may include types of acceptable behaviour, government legislation, reporting protocols and possibly behaviours agreed to by employees. They may also have Policies and Procedures for people to follow.

This sounds pretty straight forward. Not so. 

I am constantly amazed at how many people know there is a Code of Conduct in their workplace with no idea of what is in it while some are not sure if there actually is one. Many of them will admit to signing off as having read and understood it when completing all the documentation when initially employed by their current employer. 

Some companies even go so far as having annual Code of Conduct questionnaires to stimulate awareness of its content. This may reflect employee levels of knowledge of the document however it does not measure its functional application in the work place.

So let’s say you have the courage to speak up. What do you need? Who should you speak to and what should you be talking about?

Firstly, brush up on your knowledge and understanding of your Code of Conduct to ascertain where breaches may be occurring. Take accurate notes of breaches you can use as factual evidence in a discussion. Formulate a plan of how you are going to approach the discussion which is purely based around their behavior. It is not personal. Some points to consider are: What is the key message you are trying to get across? What are your reasons for this discussion? What might their responses be? Then arrange a meeting time to speak directly with the person you report to talk about your observations in an open and honest way.  

If this fails to gain traction then your next port of call is an appointment with HR. This is when a good HR person or team are worth their weight in gold. If not, then you may wish to consider your employment options.

People need to remember, reference and use the content in the Code of Conduct in their workplace. The Code of Conduct should be a living breathing document that creates fairness, consistency and equity with everyone in the workplace. Senior leaders should be role models as responsible, ethical and supportive people.

It is every junior and senior employee’s responsibility to know and live their Code of Conduct and Policies and Procedures to ensure it is consistently adhered to. When this is the norm, we need less courage.

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• Employers
• Leadership
• Workplace
• Power
• Culture