We are changing hearts and minds.

(but it has taken time).

Over 20 years ago I found myself at a Container Terminal company running anti-discrimination, bullying and sexual harassment training.

This involved me trying to convince wizened and somewhat jaded men, who were at least twice my age, and had probably been a stevedore for the length of time I had been alive, that they shouldn't discriminate, bully or harass their workmates.

If this wasn’t challenging enough, being a young, female and inexperienced Human Resources Officer, I took it upon myself to take it to another level. I wanted them to believe these kinds of behaviours were wrong, and problematic (a complete understatement) not just for them, but for women and other underrepresented people in that workplace.

I learnt a good lesson that day, that has held me in good stead throughout my career in People & Culture work. The lesson was that we don’t necessarily need to change people’s hearts or minds. We just need to change their behaviour in the workplace.

Basically, people can believe and do what they want outside the workplace (within reason and the law) but in the workplace, where we have legislative and performance requirements, we have standards of behaviour we expect from our people, and the training we deliver outlines and reinforces these standards.

This week I have been delivering in-person Respect at Work training in regional Australia for a logistics organisation. Respect at Work is essentially an upgrade to the training I used to deliver around anti-discrimination, bullying and sexual harassment training. It focuses on organisations creating a culture that’s respectful of all, and prevents and eliminates as much as possible, discrimination, sexual harassment, bullying, and workplace environments that are hostile.

The training is based on recommendations coming out of the fifth national survey on sexual harassment in Australian workplaces (2022), which showed at 33% of workers have experienced workplace sexual harassment, in the past 5 years. Absolutely appalling stats, which are higher if you are a woman, have a disability, are part of the LGBTIQ+ community or are an indigenous person.

What I’ve noticed is that the attitudes and values of the audience for this training has shifted, and for the better. I have also noticed that perhaps my maturity and approach to delivering this training has also shifted, for the better.

Today, and while the training is an important compliance piece for organisations, I’m delivering the training in an engaging way that drives onversations in the room, that are challenging, but also heartening, and collaborative with the mainly blue collar male dominiated groups. They are open, and people are willing to share about their experiences. Not only is behaviour changing, but people are seeing the impact of behaviour that’s not respectful, and hearts and minds are shifting.

So maybe back at that Container Terminal I was at the start of changing hearts and minds. I just didn’t know it could take a generation.

Often in culture and inclusion work, it’s hard to see the impact you make, or the change that happens, but that’s what I have been seeing this week, and it feels great.

If you would like to learn more about creating a respectful and inclusive culture, lets talk. You can book in here.

Lisa xx