May 2022
Leadership That Bolsters Employee Retention Requires Promptly Investigating Reports of Incivility
In the January-February 2013 Harvard Business Review, Christine Porath and Christine Pearson posited that rudeness in the workplace was “rampant” and “on the rise.” Now, a little more than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic and in the midst of sharp political polarization, the workplace of a decade ago seems downright quaint.
People have always disagreed about politics. For the most part, however, a person’s politics were considered part of their personal life, and there was a clear line between personal life and work life. The pandemic blurred that line when, suddenly, millions of people were working from home, calling into meetings from their bedrooms and virtually meeting their colleagues’ pets.
Lowering barriers yielded some benefits. Formerly intimidating supervisors became relatable coworkers when their young children interrupted meetings. Teammates bonded over the loneliness of pandemic life.
The blurring of lines between personal life and work life also created problems. Some people arrived at the (incorrect) idea that showing decorum in the workplace had become outdated. Those individuals and others acted on the thought that any joke they could tell their closest friends was now appropriate for the eyes and ears of professional colleagues.
Then, to put it mildly, COVID-19 and the mitigation measures used to combat it spurred divisions. As employers continue to grapple with whether or how to implement mask and vaccine mandates, disputes over those policies fuel disagreements among supervisors and coworkers, as well as refusals to wear masks, submitting forged vaccine cards and various other forms of misconduct.
It is no surprise that the rise of incivility and COVID-related conflicts in the workplace have coincided with a rise in resignations. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 4 million people quit their jobs each month from November 2021 through February 2022. This has been dubbed the Great Resignation. Some of the causes identified by social scientists and reporters are tragic, but perhaps unavoidable results of the pandemic world, including economic instability and the lack of child care. Many employees have also resigned because they can no longer tolerate their toxic working environments—which is both preventable and fixable by employers.
Why Investigating Complaints Matters
Most employers are aware they have a legal responsibility to investigate allegations of harassment or discrimination. What they may not realize is that prompt, thorough and fair investigations into all types of misconduct allegations increase employee morale and reduce turnover.
Some organizations, especially those focused on creating a “fun” culture, may shy away from investigating complaints out of concern that doing so will make employees uncomfortable. In one sense, they are not wrong. No one wants to be involved in an investigation: Subjects are apprehensive, and witnesses want to stay out of it.
Much better reasons to investigate as quickly as possible exist. And there is never a good reason to forego an investigation altogether. The consequences of not investigating are too high.
Failing to investigate after receiving notice of potential misconduct sends the message that the organization does not take complaints seriously. The employee who submitted the complaint may feel like they have no choice but to find another job, file a lawsuit or do both. If the employee continues working at the organization, they likely will not feel listened to or valued, which can lead to low morale, poor performance and increased absenteeism.
Match the Response to the Allegation
While all employee complaints should be taken seriously, employees’ allegations range from minor to criminal. A minor allegation, such as one employee allegedly making a rude comment, can often be investigated by a human resources professional on the same day the report is received. The HR professional can question the employees involved and coworkers who may have heard the alleged comment and draw a conclusion based on the collected testimony. Each employee should be questioned separately.
More serious allegations, such as those concerning harassment or theft, will take longer to investigate thoroughly. The investigator will need to collect and review all relevant evidence, whether in the form of testimony, emails, other documents or video.
Employers should consider retaining an outside investigator for claims that are complicated or sensitive in nature. Investigating an allegation of time card fraud, for instance, may require performing a forensic analysis of time records. For sensitive matters, employees might feel more comfortable sharing personal information with someone they will not see in the hallways or lunchroom after the investigation closes.
A recent incident illustrates the importance of bringing in an outside investigator when doing so is warranted. In this case, an investigation report prepared by a female investigator who did not work for the company described how a male employee aggressively grabbed another employee by the arm; called her foul, racist names; and pushed her forcefully. The push caused her to trip and fall to the ground.
An executive at the company struggled to accept the investigation report’s findings because the initial complaint included no mentions of falling or racist words. The executive did not understand how the employee who filed the complaint could have been vague with him while providing clear details to the investigator. The answer is that a subordinate who experiences a traumatic event will often not feel comfortable providing distressing personal details to their boss. In this case, the investigator also had experience interviewing trauma victims and knew she needed to give the employee time and space to talk about the event instead of pressing for details.
Once an investigation has been conducted, the employer must decide whether discipline is necessary. Being consistent in why and how employees are disciplined is key. Ensuring fairness and equal treatment regardless of position or title is easier when clear written rules for employee conduct and the consequences for violations are in place.
Given the blurring of lines between work and personal lives, policies requiring respect between colleagues should cover off-duty conduct toward coworkers. This does not mean that employers should become overly involved in employees’ personal lives. Rather, harmful or illegal behavior such as bullying or harassing a colleague cannot be excused simply because it occurs at a restaurant or over social media. What happens between colleagues must be addressed because it will inevitably affect the workplace.
While no one can predict when the Great Resignation will end, an organization that gets into the habit of promptly investigating complaints and consistently enforcing its civility policies will reap the rewards of increased employee morale and decreased turnover.
01 May 2022
Category
HR News Article