How can you use orientation to promote workplace respect and civility?

Promoting Respect and Civility Through Orientation: Define and emphasize the importance of respect and civility in your organization. Encourage active listening, clear communication, and constructive feedback. Acknowledge contributions, resolve conflicts constructively, and support diversity, equity, and inclusion. Example: During orientation, we define respect and civility, highlighting their significance in achieving our organizational mission and values. We foster a culture of active listening, clear communication, and constructive feedback. Our commitment includes acknowledging contributions, resolving conflicts positively, and upholding diversity, equity, and inclusion.

By Incorporating sessions on diversity, inclusion, and sensitivity training to raise awareness and foster understanding among new hires. Introducing company values, codes of conduct, and behavioral expectations to set clear standards for respectful behavior in the workplace. Providing examples and scenarios that illustrate respectful communication, conflict resolution, and inclusive practices. Encouraging open dialogue and questions to address any concerns or misconceptions about respectful conduct. Facilitating team-building activities or icebreakers to promote camaraderie and positive relationships among new hires. Emphasizing the importance of listening, empathy, and mutual respect in all interactions within the organization.

Benefits and Consequences of Respect and Civility in Orientation: Highlight the positive impacts: Increased trust, collaboration, innovation, engagement, performance, and retention. Emphasize the negative outcomes: Decreased morale, productivity, quality, customer satisfaction, and reputation. Example: In our orientation, we underscore the benefits of respect and civility: heightened trust, collaboration, innovation, engagement, performance, and retention. Simultaneously, we address the adverse effects of disrespect and incivility, such as diminished morale, productivity, quality, customer satisfaction, and reputation. This understanding reinforces our commitment to fostering a positive workplace culture.

Modeling Respect and Civility in Orientation: Lead by example: Demonstrate respectful and civil behavior in all interactions. Orientation facilitators: Ensure facilitators and leaders emulate the expected behaviors. Example: As a leader, I personally greet new hires warmly, introduce them to colleagues, provide clear information, and encourage questions. This sets the tone for respectful interactions. Our facilitators follow suit, reinforcing the importance of treating everyone with courtesy and consideration throughout the orientation process.

To me, modeling is one of the most important methods to promote workplace respect and civility. It will not matter how much I preach the importance of something if I turn around and do the exact opposite. Some methods that I have modeled respect and civility include making sure everyone gets a chance to introduce themself at the beginning. I also ensure that everyone gets a chance to talk or ask a question at some point during orientation.

Ongoing Training for Respect and Civility: Continuous support: Offer workshops, webinars, coaching, and online courses. Resource provision: Provide handbooks, policies, and online platforms outlining expectations. Example: We extend beyond orientation, offering regular workshops on effective communication, conflict resolution, and diversity and inclusion. Our online platform hosts resources, including policies and procedures, fostering an environment where employees can continuously develop and apply respectful and civil behaviors in their daily work.

I like to start with values as the center of orientation training. This sets the stage for respect and civility assuming your organization has a strong set of values. I set expectations and give insight to the human dynamics, as well as go over org charts and various resources to get the new hire familiar with the culture and structure.

Include an exercise in the company where, during a get-together, each person is asked "Who do they want to be?" and what one quality they would like to implement of that person, who they want to be. Create 10 rules that everyone is willing to hold each other accountable for so that employees can generate ten agreed-upon norms. Display these norms as the company's civility code on the notice board in the lobby, in a prominent location.

Orientation is a pivotal time to cultivate the foundation for workplace respect and civility. Seize the opportunity to promote the organization's values, code of conduct, and expected behaviors. Here a few ways to make this happen: 1) Incorporate interactive workshops to discuss scenarios and case studies with new hires. 2) Set the tone for why your organization values respect and how it impacts their daily interactions. 3) Encourage open dialogue about perceptions and conflict resolution. 4) Discuss what respectful communication looks like. 5) Emphasize the impact of civility on teamwork and productivity, and how fostering a positive work environment promotes a culture of respect that resonates throughout the organization.