Employer Lessons from the Donald Sterling Incident

Do you have a Donald Sterling at the helm of your agency?  Perhaps he or she is on the Board of Directors, in a position of leadership, or serving as a manager or supervisor.  Maybe he or she is even your newest hire.  The thing is, you usually don’t know until their hateful thoughts or behaviors are somehow exposed.  While it is easy to rally around a common enemy like Donald Sterling, what this story really brings to light is the fact that there are those with racially offensive and prejudicial views all around us.   It is how we handle them, and the situation that exposes their hateful thoughts or actions that makes the difference.

To begin with, don’t imagine that by ridding yourself of the “bad seed” that you no longer have a problem.  That may be the first step, but there is healing and an aftermath to contend with.  An incident, like that involving Sterling, may bond a team together, but it also leaves raw nerves and a level of distrust in its wake.  Who else has these views or opinions?  What is going to happen next?   

   

1. Get in front of the issue – Hold a meeting with staff.  Whether the full organization is aware or just a small group of staff, quick action is key to managing the issue and containing its damage.  Meet with those who are aware and affected immediately after the issue has been exposed and discipline or termination has been administered. 
2. Acknowledge and Inform – Staff already know about the problem, but they need to hear it from you, to know you understand it as well.  Do so, and tell them what has been done to rectify the situation.  If this behavior led to termination, say so.  Owning that decision is important.  If discipline or training were decided upon instead, inform your staff more generally that actions have been taken and that you are closely monitoring the situation.  Recognize that the more egregious or offensive the behavior, the less staff are going to tolerate complacency in managing it.
3. Discuss policy – Be specific and detailed as you describe company policy in managing the issue.  Keep your focus on what is expected - both with regard to staff behavior and with their responsibility for informing about the behavior of others.     
4. Call to Action – Healing.  What is most needed after a traumatic incident or other organizational shake-up is healing.  Identify it – and describe what is going to happen next.  Will the company provide training on issues such as sensitivity?  Is any corporate restructuring necessary?  How are staff expected to behave (i.e. is gossip about the issue forbidden)?
5. Build on the strengths of the team.  End the meeting by beginning the healing process.  Describe the positives that have come out of this difficult circumstance (i.e. staff are more bonded together; this brought a heightened awareness of issues we need to resolve).  List the good qualities that remain true of the team/group affected.  Have and share an optimistic outlook for what the future will hold.

Overcoming a crisis can be a defining moment for any team – NBA or not.  Define your company by building on the positives as you address the challenges.

Get Your Hands Untied

How often do Human Resources or managers get accused of ignoring problems, taking sides, or playing favorites?  It seems employees feel that unless a person is fired, or publicly flogged, not enough has been done to remedy a problematic situation.  Complicating matters further, Human Resources (and other authority figures in the workplace) are bound by confidentiality and often cannot reveal how they are handling an issue.

Allowing this conundrum to remain brings some employees to believe that sharing information with management does nothing to help, yet leaves them exposed.  They’ll stop telling you about their concerns even if they continue to be impacted by them.  Morale will drop, workplace relations suffer, and unplanned turnover will increase.  In some cases, an employee will feel violated and, if they happen to be of a protected class, may file a grievance or a lawsuit claiming discrimination.

What can you do?  While the law may leave you feeling your hands are tied, here are five things you can, and should, do when hearing a complaint.

1. Hear both sides.  It sounds silly, but all too often the crux of such concerns occur when a person of authority takes action or makes a decision based on just one person’s side of a story. 
2. Take notes.  Not copious notes, just enough to show you’re actually listening and trying to keep track of the situation.  Remember if it matters to them, they need to know it matters to you too.
3. Help them to resolve it themselves.  Many of the complaints HR and managers hear have to do with interpersonal issues.  They aren’t issues which typically require intervention.  In such cases, encouraging the person to handle it themselves is often the right choice.  To offer support, you may want to role play, provide mentoring, or offer to be present when the concerned party approaches the source of their complaint.  
4. Keep them informed.  Tell them what you’re going to do (generally), and why.  Perhaps it’s not appropriate to act on a first time concern, but you are taking notes and plan to keep an eye on the situation.  Or maybe the issue does require intervention.  Simply let them know that you will be taking action, but that due to confidentiality you cannot disclose any other details.  In either situation, be honest about your decision-making. 
5. Tell them to keep you informed.  This may be the most important step as it assures the concerned party that you do want to help and are not ignoring their concerns.  Urge them to come to you if the situation continues or worsens.  Remind them that you cannot be of help if you are not aware of the problem.

 

By responding to complaints in this manner, you will better control morale, turnover, and issues of conflict in the workplace.