Unprofessional behaviours: actions need consequences

If you had a magic wand and could change just one thing about diversity, equity and inclusion at work what would you change and why?

This was the brilliant question asked of me at a panel event several weeks ago. It has stayed with me. It was a question from an audience member so there was no time to prepare, and I had to think of an answer on the spot. There were so many thoughts racing through my head. With that kind of power, I could:

• remove the burden to solve discrimination from the minoritised groups experiencing it and instead make inequitable treatment at work an issue that everyone works together to eradicate

• make sure organisations understood that bringing diversity into the organisation in an attempt to boost metrics is pointless without structures in place to ensure that the people recruited can thrive and access the same opportunities as others

• update the Equality Act 2010 to broaden the protected characteristics and better reflect the world we live in

• get organisations to spend time and effort investigating and understanding exactly who their under-represented groups are, instead of just focusing on the most obvious ones.

Ultimately, I threw all of those out. The truth is that if I did have that magic wand, I would use it to make sure that consequences for discrimination, unprofessional behaviours and unfair treatment were consistently applied, regardless of who the perpetrators are and where they sit in the organisation.

Controversial? Maybe. But it’s an issue that really frustrates me. Too many organisations have anti-discrimination policies that sit in a dark corner of their intranet, covered in cobwebs because they are never enforced. And when there are no consequences, what we’re really doing is giving people a free pass to treat others according to their own system of rules, which may not necessarily align with those of the organisation in which they work. When there are no consequences, we are allowing unfair treatment of some of the people most vulnerable to discrimination and unprofessional behaviours in organisations to continue unchecked.

'When there are no consequences, what we’re really doing is giving people a free pass to treat others according to their own system of rules.'

Similarly, when consequences are applied to everyone except senior members of the team, it sends the message that organisational power and authority is a licence to operate outside the organisation’s rules and values. Culture is contagious. Behaviours trickle down. People learn what is and isn’t acceptable from watching those at the top. Policies have no power when the people responsible for enforcing them contravene them.

Consequences are essential.

Consequences don’t have to be punitive from the off. A zero-tolerance approach to discrimination and inequitable treatment does not mean that unprofessional behaviours will automatically result in disciplinary action being taken. It does mean that that any concerns raised will be taken seriously, that inappropriate behaviour will be challenged, and that proportionate action will be taken.

When incidents happen in teams and organisations that affect inclusion and belonging, conversation is typically where we begin. Feedback is given that includes the effect of attitudes, words or behaviours on others and the change required to move forward successfully. But unless we are clear in the conversations we are having about consequences and what the next steps will be should the behaviour continue, we leave room to allow it to recur.

'Policies have no power when the people responsible for enforcing them contravene them.'

The absence of consequences sends a signal that unacceptable behaviours can be quickly dismissed with a chat or a series of chats that don’t lead to any sustained change. We can get into a cycle of feedback followed by apologies that quickly lose their meaning as old patterns are revisited again and again because ignoring and refusing to apply consequences fosters a lack of accountability and culpability. Conversations without consequences can also make those who are on the receiving end of discrimination and unprofessional behaviours lose faith and stay silent because they cannot have confidence that they will be protected by the organisation.

Opting not to raise issues and concerns also translates to additional time and energy expended worrying about situations unresolved and planning responses and courses of action for when they inevitably recur. And it’s not just those experiencing unprofessional behaviours who are affected. A lack of consequences is visible to the rest of the organisation. It trickles down and damages trust in leaders, wider diversity and inclusion work, and organisational processes and policies.

If your organisation is in a cycle of repeated unprofessional behaviours (especially the same behaviours by the same individuals), it may be time for leadership to send the clear signals that they are not powerless and are willing to act. The necessary cultural change cannot be made without it. It could also be time to explore what the consequences for those behaviours are, with emphasis on how those consequences are socialised across the organisation and how they are enforced and applied.