Everyone must walk the talk

Excerpted from Executive Report: Dealing with Difficult Employees – Restoring Civility in the Workplace

Everyone must walk the talk. Even CEOs can't tell off-color jokes offensive to some people. Nobody is above the law or above company policies.

It is especially important for all people in the management ranks, from first-level supervisors to senior managers, to set the example. If any manager is allowed to get away with behavior that's supposed to be against company policies, like telling dirty jokes or engaging in other bawdy behavior, it will be impossible to credibly discipline employees for the same offenses.

The tone for the right behavior in any organization is set from the top. Executives determine the culture of a company both by what they do themselves and by demonstrating what will and won't be condoned.

A policy-on-paper-only, if not adhered to, actually does more harm than good. It gives plaintiffs' attorneys a chance to argue that the company knew better because it had a good policy on paper and deliberately chose to ignore it.

That kind of situation spurs juries to tack on multi-million-dollar punitive damage awards against employers.

Misbehavior by senior executives also allows plaintiff's' attorneys to introduce the dreaded "culture expert" at a trial who is then allowed to give expert testimony on how senior executives' misbehavior sets the tone for a fraternity-type old boys' network.

Such a culture expert was instrumental in obtaining a $250 million punitive damages award against the pharmaceutical giant Novartis in a class action suit known as Velez v. Novartis, which was brought by 5,500 female employees who were employed as drug reps. The company eventually had to consider itself lucky to be able to settle the case after an appeal for $152 million.

DIGGING DEEPER
Unacceptable behavior is growing in the workplace. And more and more, people are getting away with it. To help you nip it in the bud, read the Executive Report: Dealing with Difficult Employees – Restoring Civility in the Workplace

Comments

[no name]

Walk the TALK? PUH-LEASE!! It's walk the WALK and talk the TALK. How do you walk a talk? Get serious.

[No Bull Blog]

Actually, we do mean "Walk the Talk," which is a twist of "walk the walk, talk the talk." Walk the Talk means to practice what you preach or back up what you say. Many managers say one thing, but then do another. Walking the Talk means you actually do what you say, not just give lip service.

[Munro's Safety Apparel]

"Walking the talk" applies to all sorts of situations, including safety precautions. You can't expect your employees to follow the rules/standard procedures when management isn't. Practice what you preach!

[no name]

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/walk-the-walk.html

Walk the walk
Meaning: Back up one's talk with action.
Origin: 'Walk the walk' is almost always said in combination with 'talk the talk', for example, "if you’re going to talk the talk, you’ve got to walk the walk", or "walk it like you talk it". This is a 20th century American alternative to various old sayings which epitomise the notion that 'talk is cheap', for example 'actions speak louder than words' and 'practice what you preach'.