Best behaviour

Standards of behaviour are an accepted part of working life and may be necessary to comply with external regulation, and it’s often up to managers to ensure people behave in a certain way. But it can be difficult to set rules that everyone is happy to follow. And sometimes disciplinary procedures need to be complemented by a more subtle approach.

The way you do something is often as important as what you do, so having the right policies and procedures is vital. But these won’t work properly unless they are introduced and used in the right spirit, says employee relations advisory body Acas.

People need to know what standards of behaviour are expected of them. Clarity is crucial – ambiguity can lead to broken rules and poor morale.

Open systems of communication can help to explain what standards of behaviour are expected of staff, and the consequences – including formal disciplinary procedures – if these are not met.

Consistency counts

It is easier to deal with problems consistently if there are clear written procedures that employees and managers know about and understand. People don’t like to see colleagues ignoring rules or rules being applied on the whim of their manager.

Communicating information about acceptable behaviour should be ongoing and preferably through a mix of written, electronic and face-to-face methods. For instance, there could be guidelines set out in job descriptions and highlighted in induction training.

Managers who genuinely listen and consider employees’ views may be able to actively involve them in making decisions on what is acceptable. If a manager takes time to help staff understand the bigger picture, including the relevance of externally applied rules and regulations, and where their role fits in, this can help drive home the importance of their own behaviour.

Tackling conflict

Certain behaviour can lead to conflicts, which managers need to handle carefully. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) advises managers to be prepared to step in and have a quiet word with those involved, explaining which specific types of behaviour are inappropriate at work.

It’s much easier to have this conversation at an early stage, to prevent bad habits from being formed and spreading, says the CIPD. It’s more difficult to be respected as a manager if you appear to give certain behaviours tacit approval by letting a situation drift on. It also becomes harder to achieve a successful resolution.

Examples of behaviour that over time, if not confronted, can lead to workplace disputes include:

• excessive personal use of facilities
• poor attendance and time-keeping
• unacceptable language
• taking credit for other people’s work or ideas
• talking over people in meetings
• not taking messages for people
• ignoring people or being discourteous.

Use of facilities

Business Link advises setting down boundaries regarding personal use of facilities, such as phones. This will help to minimise the risk of disciplinary or legal action and harm to your IT system.

Typically a policy on email usage should outline:

• what shouldn't be circulated on the organisation’s email system, including any indecent or obscene material, or anything likely to cause offence
• what can be construed as inappropriate, discriminatory or libellous content
• rules for sending confidential information via email
• what you consider to be appropriate email etiquette, such as terms of address and sign-off
• how attachments should be handled, such as checking for viruses and maximum file size for attachments.

A policy on Internet use might cover:

• how much access time is acceptable
• copyright and licensing restrictions on Internet-sourced material
• what checks to carry out before downloading material
• the danger of importing viruses through downloaded files and programs
• what personal use is not permitted.

You risk legal action if you dismiss staff for accessing unsuitable material if you haven’t clearly stated what is unacceptable. Tell staff if you intend monitoring their access.

Further information

Acas
www.acas.org.uk

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
www.cipd.org.uk

Business Link
www.businesslink.gov.uk