How Do You Create A Civil Workplace?

by Anna Post

The Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics has invited me to lead their daily online discussion each day this week. I'll be talking with them about creating a civil workplace, and will be posting my discussion topics each morning here, as well. Please join the conversation in the comments section below.


Monday: How Do You Create a Civil Workplace?

Creating a civil workplace sounds like a terrific goal, doesn't it? Who could argue that that's something for a company to encourage and cultivate? And yet, civility, and its companion etiquette, is often ignored as a soft skill not truly essential to business. Some even feel it's anathema to efficiency and drive-"Nice guys finish last." Or, that it's an add-on at most: Nice, but not essential.

Civility in the workplace is cultivated from two angles: using basic manners daily and treating others with what I call the principles of etiquette: consideration, respect and honesty. The first, using good manners, is expressed with actions such as saying hello, using please, thank you and you're welcome (in speech and email), and being on time. The second, being considerate, respectful and honest, has much more to do with how we treat and speak to one another-colleague, boss, client-both on a daily basis and in those moments when there isn't a specific rule or manner to guide us. It's often synonymous with professionalism these days.

What do you think: Is civility relevant in the workplace? Can you be professional without being civil? And where does civility in the workplace come from: Management setting explicit standards? An HR document? Personal example? Focused exercises geared to increase awareness?

Tomorrow we'll take a look at some of the ties between civility and ethics.

Comments

[Anna]

My comment here is a repost of my reply comment to conversation generated on the SCCE website. I regret that I cannot post others' comments to help fill in the blanks, but I offer my reply comment to further the conversation here.

I think there's some great conversation going on about whether a lack of civility means someone is more inclined to be the type of inconsiderate, arrogant person who would commit white-collar crime, or whether crime can occur along with a smile and a please and thank you. Fraud and all manner of white-collar crime is not my area of expertise, but I bet both cases are true. Civil words can mask underhanded dealings, and at the same time it makes sense to me that people who lack manners may also lack the respect for others, and the law, that inhibits criminal activity.

Bear in mind, too, that one of the principles of etiquette I defined this morning was honesty. Even the people who are politely embezzling are only paying lip-service to manners; the underlying honesty that is so integral to civility and good etiquette is missing.

There were two other good threads I'd like to pick up: Do I see generational differences in civil behavior? And: Is it easier to cultivate and maintain civility in a small office rather than a large corporation? I'd like to save the second question for a discussion topic later in the week, but I'll take a moment to address the generational question.

The answer is yes and no. At any age, and in any region of the country or sector of the job market, I see a relatively even mix of rudeness and politeness. We all have the potential to be equally well behaved; the key to being polite, or civil, doesn't come with age, it comes with awareness: Awareness of how our actions affect others. Assuming you choose to act benevolently, being aware of others and acting in way that is respectful of those involved is, to me, the very definition of being polite or civil. Understand this, and the rest will follow. To that end, I've met rude 60 year old CEOs and very polite, professional college seniors. (And vice versa.)

That said, awareness often comes with age. I haven't done a study, but I do hear frequently from managers who have trouble with new hires (usually students right out of college) who don't know how to behave professionally in an office environment, despite their job qualifications. The crux of the issue here is often a higher degree of self-involvement and a lack of awareness of how their actions appear to others. The good news: I also work with lots of new hires, who tend to be very receptive to lessons in etiquette and civility when presented with the material. We'll also talk this week about how etiquette and civility can give you an edge over the competition.