On Workplace Civility
How we talk to each other at work always matters, and matters most when everyone is feeling activated because of political, social, or industry upheaval.
Part of my job involves talking to people leaders in organizations of all sizes and locations. Recently, I have heard a lot of HR and L&D leaders talk about the importance of civil discourse and how much more support is needed for that in 2025. And in some cases I can just...sense...that "civility" is a couched cudgel that can be used against anyone who actually wants to point out real problems of bias and discrimination. I started thinking about how I could comfortably define civility in my own organization, and I thought it might be helpful to our community to share this language:
Civility in our workplace means treating each person with professional respect while actively upholding our commitment to equity and inclusion.
This looks like:
Creating space for direct, honest dialogue about substantive disagreements - whether about project approaches, resource allocation, or strategic decisions. However, questioning someone's fundamental right to be here or their professional competence based on their identity is not a matter for debate or discussion.
We maintain high standards for both candor and respect. This means we can disagree openly about ideas, methods, and decisions, but we don't conflate politeness with avoiding necessary conversations about bias or inequity. When someone raises concerns about discrimination or exclusion, taking those concerns seriously is part of our commitment to civil discourse, not an exception to it.
Professional respect requires that we address conflicts and differences directly, but it also means we have clear boundaries: racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination are not differences of opinion to be debated civilly - they are violations of our values and policies.
At the end of the day, a workplace that values (and sticks up for) the good faith perspectives and true capabilities of all is the one that performs better, retains employees longer and is an exciting place to go every day.
