Few things in life are black and white. That’s why we have to learn to Grapple with the Gray.
Here is this episode's scenario:
Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter has renewed debate over free speech vs. responsible speech, over the need for and the dangers of censorship, over standards and double standards.
Granted that implementing equitable policy solutions across social media may be beyond our reach, what about in the workplace: we want employees to feel free to express themselves, but we don’t want to ignore caustic speech and behavior; we want to promote sensitivity and respect, but we don’t want to compel speech; we want to create a culture where employees feel trusted, but we don’t want some employees to abuse our trust in a way that makes other employees uncomfortable in the workplace.
Increasingly, reports indicate that efforts to create a healthier work environment often backfire, with some employees feeling vilified because of their identity and others feeling disempowered or tokenized by possibly well-intentioned efforts to support them.
Given that some individuals are hypersensitive and others are socially clumsy or downright disrespectful, we struggle to set in place policies, checks, and balances to safeguard the dignity of employees without creating an oppressive work atmosphere.
Is it ethical to impose blanket policies that may go beyond their intended goals and produce unintended consequences? Is it ethical to do nothing, if the cure might be worse than the ailment? How do we maintain our ethical balance while trying to improve workplace culture?
Meet this week’s panelists:
Michael de Groot is a storyteller, helping clients bring their business stories alive and is host of the Share Your Story podcast.
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Lisa K. McDonald is the founder of Career Polish, an Executive Career Coach and Master Mindset Coach who helps successful professionals reach their next phase of career-happy and life-healthy.
Toni McLelland MSc is Founder and Director of 1st Life Group. She is a Critical Friend & Business Mentor in Social Justice, Mobility & Impact.