Building Civilized Workplace

Fortunately, today, nastiness is increasingly recognized as a liability to any institution that will cost its owners and managers dearly, nastiness begets ill-will negativity and sucks out the self-worth of its targeted victims. When practiced, it creates a complete environment of anxiety, misery, and anger on its victims.

In the long run, this creates economic problems for the business owner and generates costs that otherwise could have been avoided.

It, therefore, comes as no surprise that many companies, of late, have a strict ‘no-jerks-employed’ policy. By way of their malicious actions, they suck out kindness and empathy at the workplace and tear through the moral fabric of their intended target.

Jerks at the workplace mean employers and mentors will have to deal with so much more and so much other than concentrating on organizational goals.

They will regularly intervene and placate a flagrant and inflamed office environment. In the long run, they will see more sick leaves and possibly, employee attrition too. Their peers and subordinates will not be able to perform well; not be able to be happy in the office. This is simply bad news.

More importantly, jerks in the organization, particularly in high positions which carry considerable authority, invite negative talk about the organization outside it. This means investors are moving away, and good potential employees are not interested in your company.

If you don’t want this to affect your concern, you need to jerk-proof your organization. How? Have clear-cut policies to control, stem and nullify disagreeable employee behavior at all levels. And practice what you preach.

Most successful businesses that also find a mention in the list of great employers and great workplaces do this. They do not hesitate to call out rude, boorish, bullying behavior. They also have a policy that lets the victim speak up for themselves.

This policy does not merely need to be implemented on employee floors and bays; you need to be vocal about it and publicize it as much as possible.

Another way of curbing employee bullying is to openly take strict (and public) action whenever you encounter it. Make being good to fellow employees a standard rule of conduct at the workplace, expected from day one. Lastly, incentivize calling out rude behavior and encourage people to stand up for themselves and their office buddies.

A bully needs to be alienated, and his intended victim deserves all the help possible. You also need to teach your employees the skills and necessary communication to handle complex peers and situations at the ground level.

This also includes keeping channels of communication open between different levels of supervision and authority. This is so that employees of a certain level and grade find support from those above them in the hierarchy.

Lastly, while implementing the ‘no-jerks’ policy, businesses often tend to ignore their associates and clients. While there usually is a mechanism in place that won’t let anyone abuse potential, prospective, or existing customers, business associates might end up bearing the brunt of offensive, uncalled-for behavior. So this is an area that needs some attention too.

Conclusion

A crowd of jerks creates an air of discord by messing the warmth and compassion out of all who enter and replacing it with coldness and disdain.

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