Amplifying your voice in the workplace is not easy, but can help change a culture. Here’s how…
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I have heard many times in the workplace to use my voice. When I first started in the asset management industry over 30 ago, I was told that I was very quiet in meetings and didn’t speak up. This was good feedback for me to develop my speaking skills. I was always a shy kid and probably an introvert so it was hard for me to talk in meetings and in the workplace overall.
Over the years, I have found my voice and I now use it to voice my opinions and give feedback to management about where I see the need for change. This is not always taken well by management, but I do feel it is important for others to hear the feedback that could help change the culture.
I have heard from clients who I coach that when they do report that they were spoken to in an inappropriate way through micro-aggressions, bullying or yelling, it seems to be hard to prove. Now the individual has put their name out there to report bullying and nothing can be done. They are left feeling like a target is on their back.
It is also hard to prove retaliation. While on the surface, it may seem like everything is fine and the individual is being treated fairly, management can slowly remove the individual from projects and exclude them from important meetings. It is very difficult for the individual to prove that this has happened.
So what does this mean? Do we not report bad behavior? No, we can’t sweep it under the rug. We have to be able to stick up for ourselves and others who are being treated unfairly. If we want to make an impact on changing culture to a better one, we need to speak up. I know it’s not easy, but it’s the only way to make a change.
Did you know that a Gallup poll done in 2022 showed that 23% workers worldwide experienced bullying and some form of harassment? This is nearly 750 million people worldwide.* It is hard to believe this still exists in the workplace. No wonder why we have an increase of workers being stressed.
With DE&I getting more exposure in workplaces, we are getting so close to making such great changes. Now more than ever, we are having conversations that we wouldn’t have had in the workplace 10 years ago. But, we can’t stop now until we rid workplaces of office politics, micro-aggressions and bullying.
Here are some things all employees can do to improve workplace culture:
Be open and honest. If you are a manager, be transparent with your employees. If they need to develop their skills, tell them and coach them. If you are an employee and you are not happy with the way you are being treated, tell your manager. Let them know how you feel. It’s important for them to hear.
If you see something, say something. If you hear micro-aggressions or yelling at individuals, don’t stay quiet. It’s so important to make sure this type of behavior doesn’t continue in the workplace if we want to have equity and inclusion.
Treat others the way you want to be treated. If you don’t want to be yelled at , then don’t yell at others. It’s not only inappropriate, it’s embarrassing for the individual being yelled at.
Be the leader you wish you had. If you want a leader who treats you fairly, has your back and wants you to be successful, then treat others that way. Even if you are not a manager, you can treat your colleagues and those junior to you this way.
You may be thinking that this isn’t the way the world works and we need to be tough in order to be successful. You need to be tough so people don’t walk all over you, but you don’t need to be a bully. If we can help others be successful, think about how successful the team and firm will be.
If we can all do one thing each day to change our workplace culture, think what we can do for the future. One day we can look back and say it was all worth it.
Here’s to you success!
Best,
Rene
Rene is the author of “Crush It! Conquer Workplace Challenges”. Find your copy here : https://upliftcareercoaching.com/crushit