FAIRNESS, DIGNITY AND RESPECT
Could the message be any simpler? Fairness, dignity and respect. Words to live by and more important, words to work by. At PFA Consulting, we have used the meaning these words convey as the foundation for our consulting practice. Whether we are mediating a workplace dispute, facilitating a complex strategic planning session or working with senior management to effect organizational change, we begin by articulating the fundamentals of fairness, dignity and respect. Not just as a philosophical notion, but as a deliberately spoken, on the table, starting point.

Our initial scoping session with a client includes a discussion of how fairness, dignity and respect will be part of the process. We even include these words as objectives in our consulting contracts. In our experience, we can assess the likelihood for a productive working relationship with a client by how well we match up in these basic working principles. Is the client interested in a respectful workplace? Is it important that the processes we develop be fair to the employees? What can be done to ensure that change is carried out with dignity and respect? Fortunately, we find the desire to embrace these concepts is widespread and the practice of doing so is growing.

When you think about fairness, dignity and respect, it's easiest to consider how these concepts relate to ourselves. How do we want to be treated? Of course we'd all like to be treated fairly, but what does that mean? Sometimes fairness can be a matter of perspective. Use your perspective to ask, "What would I think and how would I feel if this were happening to me?" Dignity in the workplace separates job performance from personal worth. Focus on performance with task related language referenced to job standards. Avoid personal attacks. View your associates as worthy human beings and treat them accordingly. Isn't that how you would like to be treated? Respect is similar to dignity. Here, the most powerful tools are listening and acknowledgement. Are we valued for what we bring to the workplace and is that demonstrated in a way that is evident?

The next step is to apply this understanding to our workplace. Write the words, Fairness, Dignity and Respect on a piece of paper and put it where you'll see it throughout the day. As you make decisions that affect others and as you interact with your co-workers, refer to that piece of paper and consider whether your decisions and actions are consistent with the meaning those words convey.

Now turn that exercise around and think about whether the way you're being treated affords you fairness, dignity and respect. As you observe your peers and senior management, consider whether their actions and words reflect those tenets. How does the organization treat its employees? Do the rules or processes enhance or detract from the notions of fairness, dignity and respect? Are any of these within your control? What mechanism does your organization have for making changes when the ideal doesn't match up to the reality? Simply put, if the day-to-day dealings of the organization don't result in fairness, dignity and respect for the employees, where do you go to get action? Do all employees have an equal opportunity to make their voice heard in a positive and affirming way? If not, the avenue of resort may be the grievance procedure or the courts.

If the organization doesn't practice fairness, dignity and respect internally, what are the chances it does so with its external customers? An examination of those practices is one of the most direct ways to improve customer service. And consider all customers, internal and external, including vendors and regulators.

What management says and more significantly, what it does, is the basis for the culture of that organization. There is nothing more fundamental to a healthy work environment than fairness, dignity and respect across, up and down all organizational lines. Three simple words packed with meaning. We encourage you to use them as a touchstone for what you do everyday and as a yardstick for organizational behavior.