Tools for Organizations
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Use people metrics to better understand the workforce and drive accountability
Tags Share Accountability is an important dignity element. And what’s measured matters: Data, including diversity data, can indicate problem spots on the ground, including sometimes unforeseen structural inequities. Organizations that compile and share workforce-related data and measure sentiments regarding the behaviors that honor dignity and drive inclusion are holding themselves accountable to their commitments. Listening…
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External communications and data transparency
Tags Share Public facing communications should be dignity and inclusion-focused, complement real actions being taken organizationally, be honest in their representation of the workplace, and be supported with data and benchmarks (such as around diversity) that are shared transparently. Failing to visibly showcase organizational commitments, actions and goals around dignity-related matters both pushes away potential…
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Community Engagement, Public Policy and Philanthropy
Tags Share Taking stands that show awareness (in social media, public statements, rethinking advertising, or political spending), and having hard conversations (such as in the context of external crises) are important. However, really driving change and centering dignity comes through sustained action that connects with and supports local communities, and responds to urgencies that affect…
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Procurement and supply chain
Tags Share Procurement of goods and services and supply chain relationships all involve workers whose efforts help advance the retaining organization’s work. Contractors often work alongside organizational staff; they are the extended workforce. The ability to influence those relationships is real, and allows an organization to use best efforts to ensure that non-staff workers are…
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Compensation
Tags Share Economic dignity and the safety to discuss it are at the core of workplace dignity, as compensation (salary, bonuses, etc.) is principally tied to the dignity-honoring elements of recognition, inclusion, and fairness. Employees should be paid equally for equal work in similar roles. Subjective factors that affect compensation should be reduced wherever possible,…
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Benefits
Tags Share Thoughtful and inclusive benefits signal the value an employer places on an employee’s labor, beyond day-to-day recognition and compensation. They can generate a sense of inclusion, recognition, fairness, and safety—all of which promote dignity. And they provide crucial security (such as health insurance and paid leave), notably in times of unexpected external or…
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Physical, Remote and Virtual Workplaces
Tags Share Where people work is central to their work experience. Opportunities to honor dignity (and the potential for dignity challenges) exist in all on-site and virtual workplaces. While working from home (or other remote locations) became more common due to COVID-19 in some industries, it has been repeatedly embraced by employees (for at least…
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Compliance and Other Training and Education
Tags Share Workplace culture and conduct training programs are often necessary to meet legal or other requirements. While such proscriptive efforts, standing alone, do not create a dignity-centered workplace or ensure its sustained impact (particularly if senior leaders are exempted), they can be delivered in creative ways that also honor dignity, advance stated values, and…
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Grassroots and Other Employee Efforts
Tags Share Employee empowerment and recognition advance workplace dignity. Many employees may lead efforts focused on inclusion or community engagement, such as an employee resource group (ERG) or a volunteer initiative. Especially in the case of collectives like ERGs, grassroots efforts can advance dignity by offering safe places for individuals from underrepresented groups to discuss…
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Strategic Values, Goals and Governance
Tags Share As our friend and partner, Donna Hicks, recognized in Leading With Dignity, “the stated focus of many organizations is accomplishing their strategic goals, and if honoring dignity is not woven into these goals, dignity of employees may be seen as distracting from the organization’s interests.” Centering dignity in core values enriches a brand…
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Policy
Tags Share Policies impact employees in a systemic way. They reflect what organizations reward and what they discourage, which affects dignity-honoring elements like safety, inclusion, fairness, and accountability. This means policies must cover a broad range of workplace behaviors and practices, and be visible, periodically and clearly communicated (including from senior leadership), consistently enforced through…
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Internal communications
Tags Share The 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer found that regular communication with employees plays an increasingly central role in how much employees trust their employers. They are an important driver of workplace culture and how employees feel, whether through intranet site postings, all hands/all staff/team meetings, internal bulletin boards, or organization-wide announcements and emails, including…
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