Respect in the Workplace –  Cross-Sector Focus

 

Forward-thinking organizations in the 21^st century recognize the need to cultivate professional, respectful, and rewarding work environments. Studies show that positive work cultures attract and retain new employees while simultaneously boosting productivity and profits. The future trend of workplace culture is focused squarely on inclusivity and acceptance, but to achieve these values there are significant obstacles to overcome.

Unlike industry-specific hurdles like supply chains or raw materials, the challenges to a positive workplace culture remain common across multiple sectors. Referred to as BAHD Behaviours, Bullying, Abuse, Harassment, and Discrimination exist, unfortunately, in all fields and industries. BAHD behaviours can be found in blue-collar and white-collar jobs, in the office or on the construction site, from academia to the military and everywhere in between. Given this universal reality, Respect Group has consciously developed Respect in the Workplace,  as a cross-sector, multidisciplinary program.

Over the years, numerous Human Rights Laws and Anti-Discrimination Legislation have been passed across North America. Despite these standards,  there are still a significant number of minorities who report encountering harassment and discrimination in the workplace.

Nearly thirty percent (29.8%) of LGBTQ+ employees reported they’d experienced some form of employment discrimination because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and over a third (37.7%) reported experiencing harassment at work.[1] Almost two-thirds (64%) of workers report having seen or experienced age discrimination (ageism) in the workplace, [2]and one in four Black and Hispanic employees (24% for each) reported being discriminated against in 2020.[3] The fact these results were found across multiple sectors demonstrates the need for a non-industry specific approach to training.

Focusing on specific workplaces, versus the adoption of a cross-sector approach, could lead to the reinforcement of industry stereotypes and contribute to stigmatizing individual sectors. Imagining entire programs that feature cat-calling construction workers or ageist bullying at a tech firm paints a broad, negative picture of those industries—one that could be criticized for not being fair or realistic. In Respect in the Workplace, when we feature specific, real-world examples, we do so using cross-sector scenarios and settings to demonstrate the universality of BAHD behaviours. We do this to encourage learners to draw parallels to their own work experiences, both past and present.

Sector-specific training becomes even less viable when you consider that many sectors contain multiple job functions and widely varied work environments. A municipality, for example, will employ office staff, construction workers, maintenance engineers, bus drivers, police/fire services and more. Universal scenarios would be next to impossible in these cases and would have to be broken down into individual sub-sectors, which would add a level of unnecessary complexity. Crafting sector-specific training would also significantly increase development time and costs, and limit broad, affordable use.

A key feature of Respect in the Workplace is allowing certified users to transfer certificates from one company or organization to another. This function would not be possible with a sector-specific focus, forcing individuals who are already “Respect Certified” to repeat the same training unnecessarily.

In instances where an organization’s unique work environment requires a specific focus or specialized training, Respect Group offers Workshops/Facilitator’s Guide that provide the ability to actualize foundational training within a specific department or work group.

Ultimately, a cross-sector approach establishes a common language and paradigm around respectful behaviour that transcends sectors and benefits the entire community. When everyone speaks the same language regarding core, foundational concepts, the faster and easier it is for them to establish solutions to problems that affect not only a single organization but all of them, regardless of industry or sector. To date, over 90% of the hundreds of thousands of “Respect Certified” users report that the training has helped them be a more respectful employee and co-worker regardless of their organization or job title.

 

[1] Sears, Brad, et al. LGBT PEOPLE’S EXPERIENCES OF WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT. The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, 2021, http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep35009.

 

[2] STAYING AHEAD OF THE CURVE 2013: AARP MULTICULTURAL WORK AND CAREER STUDY PERCEPTIONS OF AGE DISCRIMINATION IN THE WORKPLACE – AGES 45 – 74. American Association of Retired Persons, 2013.

 

[3] ONE IN FOUR BLACK WORKERS REPORT DISCRIMINATION AT WORK. Gallup polls, 2020.