Challenging Inappropriate Behaviour in the Workplace

Risk management of health and safety in the workplace doesn’t stop at the physical and mental hazards of a working environment. Workers can often prove to be a hazard to others’ mental and physical wellbeing through inappropriate behaviour. We have previously explored how a behavioural safety approach can influence an individual’s behaviour, and now we will consider the effects of inappropriate behaviour on your business and the best approaches for challenging inappropriate behaviour in the workplace.

Examples of Inappropriate Behaviour in the Workplace

To feel comfortable challenging inappropriate behaviour in the workplace, you must first define what is deemed inappropriate. While specific examples can vary between industries and workplaces, here are some general examples that can be used as guidance on inappropriate workplace behaviour.

Aggressive or violent behaviour is inappropriate in the workplace and has an effect on the culture and environment your workers operate in. While stress is now a common workplace experience, staff should know where the line is before stepping into aggression and violence at work. Shouting at colleagues is unacceptable, and throwing objects or hitting walls and desks is also inappropriate workplace behaviour. Not only can this cause damage to company property, but it is also intimidating to colleagues and should not be tolerated as it could also be considered as bullying.

Instances of sexual harassment in the workplace are easier to define, as they are covered in UK law. Sexual harassment is any conduct of a sexual nature that makes a person feel intimidated, degraded, humiliated or offended. Real-life examples of this can include jokes of a sexual nature, inappropriate comments — especially ones based on a colleague’s appearance — and inappropriate/unwanted physical contact with a member of staff.

Workplace bullying can take many forms, in written correspondence such as emails and instant messages, and in face-to-face interactions too. Outright insulting and offensive comments are clearly an example of inappropriate behaviour, but intentional snubs or snide remarks towards individuals or spreading rumours about colleagues can also amount to bullying. If a member of staff reports a complaint of bullying, it’s important to treat this seriously, as it can have serious consequences for a person’s mental health.

How Inappropriate Behaviour Can Affect Your Business

In instances of inappropriate behaviour like sexual harassment, the Equality Act 2010 states that employers are legally responsible if they have not taken steps to prevent the harassment from happening. Companies have a duty to protect their workers from inappropriate behaviour of any kind, and in most cases, they will be held accountable if they are found not to be doing so.

The repercussions of not challenging inappropriate workplace behaviour can negatively influence workplace culture, having a knock-on effect on behaviour as a whole. Allowing inappropriate behaviour to go unchecked will result in colleagues feeling uncomfortable and potentially at risk, which leaves companies open to losing valuable members of staff. Staff absence as a result of workplace bullying or sick leave for mental-health reasons will also strongly impact businesses.

Finally, the repercussions of gaining a reputation as a business that will turn a blind eye to this sort of behaviour can be extremely damaging. This may affect clients wanting to do business with you and prevent potential staff members from joining your teams. 

Reducing the Risk of Inappropriate Behaviour

Before deciding how a company should go about challenging inappropriate behaviour in the workplace, we first need to consider what companies can do to reduce the likelihood of such behaviours. Companies should take a clear stance on what kind of behaviour is and is not acceptable within the workplace, as this removes any excuses that workers “don’t know” what they’re doing is wrong. These values should be made clear to anyone working for the company and reiterated often to remind workers what is expected of them at all times.

Establishing inappropriate behaviours can seem obvious, but it’s important to consider all aspects of what may be deemed inappropriate by people other than management or whoever puts the guide together. For example, an able-bodied worker compiling a list of inappropriate behaviours may not consider behaviours that a disabled worker would deem crucial to include. The examples listed above are not an exhaustive list, and putting together a list of inappropriate behaviours in your workplace should form part of your risk assessment to make it as specific as possible for your business.

Including information about types of behaviour your company will not tolerate during the induction phase will show new starters that your business is dedicated to prioritising and practising appropriate workplace behaviour from day one. Companies should also commit vocally and in writing to protecting their staff, not just from colleagues but from customers and clients too.

As workplace bullying and inappropriate behaviour can happen at any level, from junior staff to senior management, there must be a clear process for reporting incidents of unprofessional behaviour.

Approaches for Challenging Inappropriate Behaviour in the Workplace

When challenging inappropriate behaviour in the workplace, your priority should be to deescalate the situation. Unprofessional behaviour may have been reported to you after the event, but if it is a real-time situation, you want to diffuse that to get an understanding of the circumstances. Where possible, change the environment to remove the parties involved from the exact location an incident took place. This can help disrupt aggression or violence. Once diffused, it is easier to get a picture of what has happened and discuss it in a more calm and rational way.

One thing to consider when challenging inappropriate behaviour in the workplace is whether or not this is out of character for the worker in question. You should talk with all parties involved, but make an effort to find out if the person acting inappropriately has something else going on in their personal life that may account for such behaviour. Though absolutely not an excuse, it can often explain a change in behaviour if it is uncharacteristic for a staff member to act in such a way. In the example of aggression at work, speak with them to try and understand what has made them respond in this way.

It’s important that you focus on the future outcome you hope to achieve. Did this person know they were in the wrong? If you can establish that they knowingly acted in a way that was at odds with your company’s values, the outcome may differ from what would be an appropriate response if they unintentionally crossed a line. Did they have the knowledge and resources to understand that their behaviour was inappropriate? As a business, you can learn from that and use it to build your company code of conduct.

It’s important to get all the necessary information before progressing a complaint of this nature. If you didn’t witness the behaviour, speak to workers who did. Once you have the facts, determine whether or not there are any legal implications associated with what has occurred and what the next steps will be. Communication and support are crucial at this stage so that, if there is a victim in this circumstance, they do not feel at risk from colleagues or at risk of losing their job.

Management should have an open-door policy, encouraging staff to report inappropriate workplace behaviour. It should be clear that management does not expect workers to deal with or intervene in circumstances of unprofessional behaviour, but everyone should be informed of and feel comfortable with the reporting processes.

A workplace that nurtures a culture of professionalism and appropriate behaviour will ultimately result in a more harmonious working environment. Businesses must understand the role they have to play in reducing the risk of inappropriate behaviour and what their obligations are when it comes to challenging inappropriate behaviour in the workplace.

CHAS client benefits include access to pre-accredited contractors, which can help reduce the risk of non-compliance with health and safety within your business. As a CHAS contractor, you can gain access to resources to help you stay compliant with health and safety and risk management.