How to Set Standards of Behavior in the Workplace

Did you know that job stress costs businesses in the U.S. over $300 billion every year? 

That's right; if your employees aren't practicing appropriate workplace behavior, which creates an unhealthy work environment, they could be costing you some serious money.

At first, you might assume that you can address issues by having a manager tell employees to behave better. But we all know that people don’t change overnight. 

Take workplace conduct seriously, and don’t wait until it’s too late.

Read on to learn more about the benefits of appropriate workplace behaviour training and the five signs that your company needs it.

5 Signs Your Employees Need Office Behavior Training

On the surface, all might seem well within your workplace. But what will you find if you dig a little deeper?

Consider if you (or other managers and leaders within your company) have noticed any of the following signs of poor workplace conduct.

1. Managers Don't Uphold Company Values

Reflect on your company's core values. Can you confidently say that your employees, especially managers, live up to those values at work?

For example, let's say one of your company values is honesty. Do managers reflect that value as they lead their teams? Are they completely honest with you and your company’s customers? Or, do they slip by on white lies, “just to get the sale,” and excuse their lack of honesty?

If you don’t see your company values reflected in those who hold leadership roles, there's a good chance the problems have influenced workplace behavior and need to be addressed.

2. Employees Frequently Gossip

One of the most common unethical workplace behaviors is gossip. Frequent gossiping amongst employees is never a good sign if you want to sustain a positive company culture. Don’t accept gossip as the norm in your company. Constant gossiping or spreading rumors is a big red flag, signaling that your employees need a behavior check-up. 

Managers need to address situations like gossip within their teams immediately to keep bad workplace behavior from escalating.

3. High Employee Turnover Rates

Another signal that your company may need a behavior – or even a company culture – overhaul is a high employee turnover rate. Are people leaving shortly after getting hired? If that's the case, there could be an issue with how colleagues or someone in leadership treated them. 

Don't brush off quitters, making assumptions about why people leave until you know the whole story. Evaluate your people and leadership to discover the gaps. You might be surprised at what you find out is happening behind the scenes. 

4. Lots of Unfriendly Competition

Competitiveness between employees can be a good thing. At Unboxed Training & Technology, we encourage workplace competition through training games. Interactive games that engage employees can lead to increased productivity and better quality work. However, not everyone plays “just for fun.” Be on the lookout for examples of competition that seems unfriendly or unhealthy.

For example, do team members seem to be sabotaging one another during games or team calls? If you notice negative behaviors during training activities, you may need to discuss appropriate workplace behavior.

5. Employees Are Absent or Tardy

If employees continually show up late or miss work altogether, there could be something serious going on. Family emergencies happen, cars break down, computers reboot or crash at unfortunate times, so those are all understandable instances. 

What’s the real story, though? Employees may be unmotivated to come to work and perform at their best because they're being mistreated. 

If you’ve noticed any of these signs in your company’s workplace, your team needs workplace conduct training. Deploy training fast with ReadySet Respect – an off-the-shelf solution that equips employees with appropriate workplace behaviour training. The curriculum is built for new and seasoned learners so that you can develop a healthy company culture today.

Let’s jump into the benefits you can experience from workplace conduct training that leads to behavior modification.

Benefits of Appropriate Workplace Behavior Training

None of those five warning signs are good things to continue happening at your company. If you want to create a positive workplace culture, consider implementing appropriate behavior training.

Here are some specific benefits that this type of behavioral training provides.

Corrects Problematic Office Behaviors

First of all, workplace behavior training provides an opportunity for effective behavior modification. Instead of firing problematic team members, appropriate workplace behaviour training can help you address the issues at hand, identify their root cause, and prevent problems from happening again in the future.

Increases Employee Retention

Do you know what’s happening day-to-day with your remote teams? Do your managers foster a positive environment at your company? If employees feel safe, seen, and supported by others at work, they'll be more productive and want to stick around.

The Harvard Business Review says, “Employees tend to remain with a company until some force causes them to leave.” One of the four factors that play into an employee staying or quitting is the company environment. Improve employee retention by improving your workplace conduct and company culture.

Outlines Standards of Behavior in the Workplace

Appropriate workplace behaviour training can help you correct a toxic company culture and establish a code of conduct. Behavior training allows you to communicate company expectations as well as what you won’t tolerate. Clarifying appropriate workplace conduct ensures that everyone is on the same page when they interact at work – online or in person.

Elevates Personal Responsibility

If your employees have clarity around your standards and expectations, then you can hold them responsible for what they know and how they choose to act. Your office behavior training should include the process HR has established for written warnings and dismissals. Employees need to know that they will be accountable for their actions if they violate the company’s code of conduct to ensure the training isn’t easily dismissed.

Encourages Team Collaboration

A positive and uplifting company culture encourages teamwork and collaboration amongst your staff. Creating an inclusive, collaborative work environment supports and values all of your employees. When team members treat each other respectfully, they can come together for the company’s good and produce greater work than they could individually.

Boosts Employee Morale

Workplace morale isn't going to be very good if employees treat each other poorly, don’t support each other, and refuse to communicate professionally. A positive environment at work raises employee morale and increases both productivity and efficiency. Appropriate behavior training can help you accomplish a better work environment, which will lead to higher performing teams.

Avoids Negative Press

Finally, investing in training that covers appropriate workplace behaviors will help your company avoid scandals and negative press. Behavior training allows you to address interpersonal problems head-on. Consider adding workplace behavior training as part of the onboarding process. Improving your organizational culture with appropriate workplace behavior training addresses your company’s relational dysfunctions in private. 

Don’t ignore behavioral issues because employees may take them outside of the office and onto social media for the public’s viewing.

Set New Standards of Behavior in Your Workplace

If you offer appropriate workplace behaviour training now, you can prevent future conflicts and establish a positive, healthy company culture moving forward.

Are you ready to invest in workplace conduct training for your employees? We’ve got training for your team that’s ready to go today.

Set professional standards of behavior in the workplace with ReadySet Training™. ReadySet Respect is a high-quality, off-the-shelf training course that includes five micro-learning modules on respect in the workplace:

• Identifying Bias
• Building a Respectful Workplace
• Preventing & Resolving Concerns
• Preventing & Addressing Sexual Harassment
• Creating a Supportive Team and Culture

Request a demo of ReadySet to see how workplace behavior training can improve your employee’s professional conduct and performance. If you’d rather hop on a call with our team for more information, contact Unboxed Training & Technology at (888) 723-9770.