Trains 🚊 Planes ✈️ and Respectful Cultures
……..and cheers to packing light!
In the last week I have been on:
- 5 planes
- 2 intercity trains
- 2 airport trains
- 1 light rail trip, and
- Many suburban and metro train trips
I have slept in 5 different beds, stayed in 3 different hotels, and wished (often) I was a light packer with a capsule wardrobe (alas, I like to have options to wear). I have delivered in 3 different meeting rooms and had to navigate my MacBook to actually connect to a data projector. Not for the faint hearted.
I was in Australia delivering workshops on building respectful and inclusive cultures for a particular industry and organisation experiencing rapid growth and unprecedented investment.
I was delivering these workshops to the most delightful groups of people leaders. All up to around 60 people. I built their training around their own gender equity survey results, which we ran over the last 12 months. Their own survey results were the most powerful part of the training.
Yes Australia’s Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) places a legal obligation and a positive duty on organisations to take proactive steps to prevent discrimination and sexual harassment in their workplaces, but often just telling humans they shouldn’t do something because it’s against the law doesn’t work.
Hands up who has received a speeding fine? Or a parking fine? I’m always getting parking fines 🙄
If I had just rocked up and shared the latest Australian workplace survey data on sexual harassment, I’m not sure anyone would have cared too much, because it’s too generalised. But being able to tell a story about what’s happening in Australian workplaces generally, the subsequent changes made to workplace legislation AND showing this organisations own data, was so powerful.
When I first put up the slide showing the percentage of people who had experienced sexual harassment, discrimination and bullying in their workplace, and that it matched the Australian workplace data plus some of their peoples comments that backed up the numbers, people sat forward.
"What’s your reaction?" I asked.
Silence..... (That’s ok. I can wait.)
Then…..
"I can’t believe our people said this" and "I can’t believe people think this way in our organisation."
There was shock. Disbelief. And a want to change (often the hard bit).
We spent quite a bit of time on the changes to legislation, what behaviours are unlawful, factors that contribute to unlawful behaviours, positive duty and much more.
BUT the most important part (in my view) was helping the leaders understand what they need to do as as leaders to model repsectful and inclusive behaviours, and understand and address disrespectful behaviours. It's important to know the law, but it's also important to support leaders to know the role they play in building culture.
Want to know how I could help your organisation? Let's chat.
Lisa xx