As electoral politics reaches for new levels of divisiveness and nastiness, and as racial and ethnic tensions boil over into violence in a number of parts of the world, businesses have a crucial role to play in injecting some degree of civility into the situation – if for their own interests as for the greater good.
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Civility in the workplace, defined here by SHRM: “practicing civil behavior establishes a safe and empathetic environment where individuals can contribute their best ideas, knowing they will be heard and valued. Civility is more than making others feel comfortable; it’s about creating a dynamic, diverse, and productive workplace where everyone can thrive.
Civility isn’t necessarily the destination as there’s more work ahead, but it’s fundamental if we are to build an ark through this storm and make it through to the other side together. Indeed, businesses may be the only actors capable of playing that role credibly in the coming weeks and months.
It’s not just that continued productivity is at stake – it’s also that businesses have unique advantages for creating a relatively civil climate that other societal actors don’t have at their disposal.
The core advantage is that participation in a business is voluntary and governed by shared rules and commitments that employees agree to abide by as conditions of their further employment. Such shared rules and commitments are also enforceable, with substantial consequences for those who violate them.
The goal of any business or enterprise is to achieve shared objectives – and the role of any individuals in businesses is, implicitly or explicitly, tied to their connection to the fulfilment of those objectives, rather than to other aspects of their personal agendas.
This is not to say that people should shed their own views, values and their opinions when they sign in for the work day. Indeed, both of us believe strongly that workplaces need to give employees the ability to connect, affiliate and express themselves as being more than mere “cogs in the corporate machine.” And there are a number of ways that it can do so in a way that is more inclusive than coercive.
The core to this is “acknowledgement” – a willingness by leaders to recognize the gravity and intensity of the current situation – while placing it squarely in the context of explicitly shared commitment. Organizations have a default setting to not say anything and then require convincing through employee, customer or peer pressure, to say something.
It’s time we flip the script and set the default to say something and require an introspective criteria on what, when, who and how to send an acknowledgment. If it doesn’t mean any criteria, then nothing needs to be said.
The DEPTH Model, the strategic communications framework that was introduced by Kim and her co-author Janet M. Stovall in their book, The Conscious Communicator: The fine art of not saying stupid sh*t, was designed for this very reason and process.
Here’s the basic format for such an acknowledgement, using the coming election as a context.
“We recognize that our country is facing an intense, divisive and contentious election – potentially the most in our nation’s history. And at the same time, as members of our organization, we all have a commitment to our objectives of providing great service while staying true to our organizational values as we work together.”
In and of itself, acknowledgement can be seen as empty words, a platitude of sorts. But it gains power when it adds clear definitions. What is meant by “respect”? What does “great service” mean when bigger things are happening beyond the firewall? And what do the words in the value statement mean in this very real-life situation?
Indeed, a call to work in accordance with shared organizational values can add longer-term value by necessitating the clarification of the words used to express those values in ways that are clear, commonly understood and actionable.
The commonly held value of “inclusivity” can certainly benefit from some operationalization in a lot of organizations – where it’s misunderstood as being a euphemism for actually excluding or (re)marginalizing some voices, sentiments that may be fueling the intensity of certain individuals on both sides of the political divide.
In the US, eighty percent of employees are concerned about the nation’s future and over 50% of employees report feeling anxious. Acting like “everything’s fine, just keep doing your job” as an organization contributes to mental health issues, burnout, tensions among colleagues and reduced productivity.
In addressing and bringing the concept of inclusivity to life in a genuinely inclusive way, businesses can also make a certain contribution to toning down the emotional intensity employees may be having around broader political issues by demonstrating that it’s possible to cool tensions and collaborate with people with whom one profoundly disagrees.
Having the workplace be a place where the issue of civility is addressed explicitly also takes advantage of another key element – a shift of focus onto common activities as well as to common objectives.
Years ago, then-New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, said “there’s not a Republican way or a Democratic way to collect the trash,” noting one of his municipality’s major work tasks. The reality is that the vast majority of work that’s being done out there is neither “Republican work” nor “Democratic work.”
We say right wing and left wing and if you think about it, a bird can’t fly without both wings, but they have to work together and that’s the opportunity organizations have right now. They can show it’s possible according to their company values in action. That reality further makes the workplace a venue where productive activity can be a respite from larger dramas, as well as a place where the necessity of collaboration facilitates the conversations and practices that make it possible.
Kim Clark (she/her) is a DEI communications speaker, consultant and coach who works with communicators on learning and applying a DEI LENS on their work to help organizations navigate this important time in history. She co-wrote The Conscious Communicator: The fine art of not saying stupid sh*t, a bestseller on Amazon, with TED Talk speaker and DEI leader, Janet M. Stovall.
Mike Klein is a veteran internal communication consultant based in Reykjavik, Iceland and is the founder of #WeLeadComms, a global initiative to recognize the courage, initiative and leadership demonstrated daily by communication professionals. Prior to his work in internal communication, Mike was a US political consultant, working with candidates and elected officials from both the Democratic and Republican parties.
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