Role Model Behavior

Instructor: Mary Ann K. Judaya

Demonstrating Professional Behavior In The
Workplace
 What is professional behavior in the workplace?
Professional behavior in the workplace is a combination of attitude, appearance and
manners. It includes the way you speak, look, act and make decisions. The main
principles of professional work behavior include:
• Treating your managers, colleagues and clients with respect
• Projecting a positive attitude
• Being polite
• Showing good judgment
• Being ethical
• Dressing appropriately
Employees who show professionalism at work are often productive, motivated and
perform at a high level. Colleagues and clients enjoy working with them, and they might
transition into leadership roles. Some companies have codes of professional conduct
that include rules about dress and behavior to help guide employees.
10 ways to maintain professional behavior in the workplace:

1. Arrive on time
Punctuality shows your coworkers that you are reliable, care about your work and
value their time. Also, make sure you follow your company's break schedule.

2. Follow your company’s dress code

Regardless of whether your company has a strict dress code, allows casual attire or
you work from home, maintain a clean and neat appearance that makes a positive
impression on clients and coworkers.
3. Communicate respectfully
When you are at work, use clean language even during casual conversations and
emails. Avoid gossiping, talking about sensitive subjects and sharing overly personal
information with coworkers.

4. Be honest
Integrity in the workplace can lead to positive relationships. Coworkers who trust
each other are often productive and work well as a team.

5. Have a positive attitude

People enjoy working with colleagues who are upbeat and optimistic. If you show up
to work motivated and with a good attitude, your colleagues might be likely to
display similar behaviors, which can improve overall office morale.
6. Take responsibility
Respected professionals set examples by taking responsibility for their actions. If
you make a mistake, always admit it and then take steps to correct it or prevent it
from happening again.

7. Avoid social media

Even if your job involves posting on social media sites and monitoring company
platforms, avoid checking your personal accounts during working hours.

8. Help others
Offer to help your colleagues when they appear overwhelmed by tasks or are trying
to solve challenging issues.
9. Act ethically
Workplace ethics involve choosing between right and wrong and maintaining strong
morals. When you act ethically, you are more likely to make good decisions that
benefit your entire team.

10.Be reliable
Show your colleagues and manager that they can rely on you to meet deadlines, do
quality work and show up to meetings on time.
Cultivating A Climate For Employees’ Ability

How to improve organizational climate?

You can learn how to improve your workplace’s organizational climate by
following these steps:

1. Identify the current organizational climate

Before you can begin improving the climate in your workplace, you need to
identify its current state. A great way to do this is by conducting employee surveys.
An appropriate study can determine which factors are making a positive
contribution, such as: clarity, standards, responsibility, flexibility, rewards, team
commitment.
2. Raise awareness of the company’s mission
To strengthen your workplace’s organizational climate, you can raise awareness of
the company’s mission, values and vision. Understanding the company’s mission
can help employees feel more invested in their work and improve their
motivation.

3. Identify motivational factors

Every workplace needs positive reinforcement that gives employees the motivation
they need to complete everyday tasks. Identifying these elements and
strengthening them is one of the best ways to improve the climate in your
workplace. Factors that motivate staff include realistic goals, good lines of
communication, a clear workplace structure and a sense that their manager values
their skills and personal qualities.
4. Improve understanding of task delegation
How employees understand the delegation process can have a significant influence
on their perception of the organizational climate. For a positive impression, the
team should clearly know why certain people receive specific tasks or extra
responsibilities.

5. Boost team cooperation

Camaraderie and unity are important to success and are also vital parts of
establishing a good organizational climate. The satisfaction of achieving a
common goal is very effective in creating unity in a group, so try to use clear and
attainable goals to give your staff plenty of opportunities to succeed as a team.
Merit-based Policies For Recruitment, Selection,
and Promotion

The purpose of this merit-based recruitment, selection, and promotion is to fill

positions from among the most qualified individuals. In the recruiting and
selection process, the organization will give equal employment opportunity to all
applicants, without regard to race, religion, color, creed, national origin, sex, age,
disability or political affiliation/influence. Selection decisions will be based solely
on job related criteria. The recruitment and selection process will be consistently
applied, nondiscriminatory, and promote fairness, diversity, and integrity. The
recruitment and selection process will comply with all Federal and State laws,
regulations, and policies.
Implementing Practices To Show Respect For
Workplace Diversity

The world is a colorfully diverse place and so are our workplaces. Diversity is an
economic and legal priority in business. Managers, supervisors and employees at
every level of a company need to find ways to embrace and respect diversity in
their departments and the organization as a whole. Here are ten ways to get started:

1. We all have biases. It's a natural result of our life experiences. Take a moment
to write down what you biases are and how you can not allow these biases to
affect the way you conduct yourself at work.
2. Get to know someone different than you. Take a genuine interest in someone with
a different background than your own. Make sure that your conversations find
common ground in an area that it does not offend cultural sensibilities.
3. Invite input from others with different backgrounds. Not only does this show
respect, but it makes good business sense to have a diverse opinion.
4. Bring together diverse groups for innovation. Inviting as many backgrounds and
cultures as possible will increase the pace and creativity involved with
innovation. Companies that do not change and innovate will die and the diversity
can be a company's most valuable resource in this area.
5. Respect religious holidays. Most companies respect Christian holidays, however
the workplace is far more than just Christian. All important religious holidays
should be respected for employees of that particular religion.
6. Find someone with a different background who shares the same company goal
with you and strategize with them.
7. Find out about everyone in your departments skills, knowledge and experience.
This will help you respect what they bring to the workplace.
8. Invite someone with a diverse background to lunch or change your table every
day at lunch in the break room so you can sit with new people.
9. Avoid language that demeans a particular group of individuals. For instance avoid
calling women girls and avoid jokes that have religious or cultural inferences.
10. When hiring or promoting individuals do so on the basis of facts only. Skills,
abilities, knowledge and results should be the only factors involved in your
decisions. Do not let biases or stereotypes affect the process.
Embrace diversity in your workplace and you are on the way to a more fulfilling and
productive organization. The world is a beautiful mosaic of differences and the
workplace should be as well. Respecting your co-workers and employees is
paramount to tapping the valuable diversity in your organization .
Coaching Colleagues To Respect Workplace
Diversity

As leaders, our words and actions have a great impact on workplace diversity.
Here are several simple things you can do at work that will make your workplace
more inclusive, while boosting morale and increasing performance.

1. Give your time and attention to colleagues who want to support diversity.
If someone in your organization is making the effort to spearhead a diversity and
inclusion initiative, no matter how small, take the time to listen and participate.
2. Balance the time you spend supporting others.
Whether it’s an impromptu discussion about a project, a performance review, or a
mentoring session, check to see if you are inadvertently dedicating more of your time
to specific groups of people, especially those who feel comfortable asking for your
help. If so, make sure you offer help to those who may be reluctant to ask.

3. Spread responsibilities evenly across your organization.

As with the previous point, it is easy to fall into the trap of assigning more
responsibilities and giving more visibility to those who are comfortable asking for it.
Those who don’t feel they belong may be less likely to ask to do something, but
equally likely to get it done if given the chance. Check that you are not inadvertently
supporting this form of self-perpetuating bias.
4. Listen to all complaints about bias or discrimination.
If someone voices a complaint about bias or discrimination, be open-minded, listen
carefully, and let them know that you care. And then make sure you follow up and
take action as appropriate.

5. Take a stand against inappropriate behavior.

Even without someone voicing a complaint, if you witness someone say or do
something inappropriate, don’t let it slide.

6. Look for diversity beyond skin color and gender.

Just because someone’s skin color is different from yours, it doesn’t mean that the
person is particularly different from you.
7. Foster open, candid conversations with and among your colleagues.
Although certain conversations need to be handled professionally, being open and
inquisitive is a good thing, as long as it’s done in a candid and respectful manner.

8. Assume that you will need to educate the majority.

If you just hired your first team member from an underrepresented minority, chances
are that he or she is quite used to being surrounded by people who look different. It’s
the members of the majority that need help understanding how to make their new
colleague feel welcome.
9. Educate yourself about unconscious biases.
Some biases are called “unconscious” because we don’t even realize we have them.
Learn about unconscious biases, take an online test that can help you spot your own
weak points, and be aware of the potential pitfalls – for yourself and for those around
you. It’s a leader’s role to be aware of these biases and to know how to deal with
them.

10. When unsure, ask for help.

Whether or not you have received formal diversity training, you will encounter some
difficult situations that you are not prepared to handle. Don’t be afraid to look for
help! Look for internal company resources or consider bringing in outside help.
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