Workplace misconduct comes in many forms, such as bullying, harassment, violation of policies, unethical conduct, insubordination, or discrimination. It has long been a blight on organizations and their employees. Although general recognition of (and responses to) harassment and bullying have improved, misconduct is still a prevalent issue. This article discusses how organizations can prevent and respond to misbehaviors. It also delves into the emerging role of virtual reality (VR) in making workplace environments safer and more inclusive for employees.
Understanding Workplace Misconduct
The notion of workplace misconduct has evolved. Historically, there wasn’t much to measure, with misconduct being seen as just part of ‘normal’ workplace culture (watch Mad Men).
This blasé attitude has changed, with societal norms prioritizing workplace welfare and ethical accountability. In recent years, following the Great Recession of 2008, there has been a huge focus on financial and ethical misconduct. The ‘Me Too’ era has also brought immense scrutiny to workplace harassment and misbehaviors.
Even with enhanced perceptions and an increasing number of regulations governing misconduct, according to the Workplace Bullying Institute, 30 percent of workers still experienced bullying. As a result, US businesses spend over $20 billion annually, resulting from lawsuits and complaints, loss of productivity, and employee turnovers.
The Manager’s Perspective
Managers must prevent workplace bullying and intervene and address it accordingly if it occurs.
Prevention
Managers and leaders are the voice of organizational culture and play a vital role in shaping a positive workplace environment. This begins by establishing a clear code of conduct that defines workplace misconduct, prohibits it, and articulates the consequences if it occurs. A comprehensive suite of training interventions is vital to communicate the unacceptable nature of workplace misconduct and, for managers, how to identify and manage misconduct accordingly.
Virtual reality (VR) training provides an innovative, highly engaging, and memorable approach to raising awareness on addressing misconduct. Organizations can leverage VR modules designed for various use cases; for example, a VR module can help leaders practice effective communication to apply misconduct intervention strategies (e.g., mediating a conflict and escalating to HR). For example, my company, Sisu VR, is working to help organizations combat misconduct using cutting-edge, immersive technology for organizational compliance. Our titles, which are compliant with U.S. federal and state regulations, include harassment, bullying, and discrimination prevention for managers and non-managers.
Intervention
The likelihood of workplace misconduct is ever-present. Therefore, managers should take swift and decisive action, investigate complaints appropriately, and be aware of early indicators of workplace misconduct. Managers should foster an open-door policy, providing employees a safe space to discuss their concerns. Mediation meetings and the organization providing appropriate resources and time for conflict resolution are good places to start. Implementing fair and consistent disciplinary measures would be necessary to reprimand offenders.
The Victim’s Perspective
While it’s the manager’s role to monitor the workplace climate to ensure misconduct and harassment are not pervasive, victims should feel empowered to address misconduct to help themselves and their organization.
Recognizing the signs
Victims of workplace misconduct and harassment often experience a range of mental and physical symptoms, including anxiety, depression, social exclusion, fatigue, or diminished performance. Victims should be aware of these signs to quickly identify misbehavior and be motivated to seek help or a method to resolve the issue. They should also be sensitive to changes in colleague behavior, reporting any notable deviations (e.g., increased aggressiveness) to management.
Reporting and Seeking Support
Those impacted by workplace misconduct should feel confident reporting what is happening. It is the organization’s responsibility to cultivate a psychologically safe environment; however, victims should also make themselves aware of the resources available to report misconduct. Resources can include employee assistance programs (EAPs), whistleblowing policies, the aforementioned managerial open-door policy, or trusted colleagues and mentors.
VR training can also significantly contribute to reporting misconduct. Immersive learning modules can provide a practical and engaging way to direct employees through organizational reporting procedures, making the process accessible.
Developing coping strategies
Establishing coping strategies can help victims overcome the impacts of misconduct and harassment. Coping strategies can include practicing self-care, seeking professional help (e.g., counseling), or engaging in training that can develop more confident responses or enhanced communication techniques to counter such behavior.
The Perpetrator’s Perspective
Understanding why instigators of workplace misconduct and harassment act like they do is crucial for managers to combat it. In many cases, guiding perpetrators to understand their motivations can be valuable.
Understanding motivations
Many perpetrators of workplace misconduct act out due to insecurities or challenges, which oftentimes stem from external factors. Organizations should do their best to help offenders seek help for any struggles that may affect their work output and how they associate with colleagues.
Intervention and accountability
While support is necessary, managers must always hold perpetrators accountable for their actions. Appropriate training can enable employees to recognize their behavior’s impact better and develop greater emotional intelligence. For instance, interventions can include VR training to help perpetrators experience the different sides of workplace harassment. Immersive training can be deployed to help employees experience incidents from different perspectives (e.g., victim, observer) to ultimately drive empathy.
Having offenders experience inappropriate behavior in VR has the potential to be overbearing, but enabling them to walk in someone else’s shoes can also foster a strong sense of understanding that misconduct is wholly inappropriate.
Final Thoughts
Despite marked improvements in creating greater awareness, workplace misconduct is still common. Addressing harassment, bullying, and other misbehaviors requires a multifaceted approach where managers should promptly address the issue and proactively support affected parties. Leaders should also inform offenders of their actions and determine ways to help them rectify their behavior (or remove them from the organization if behaviors are egregious). Leveraging VR training is a cost-effective and engaging method to manage workplace misconduct– exploring what would work best for your organization is highly encouraged.
