According to Merriam-Webster, “culture” is the word of the year for 2014. As quoted in a recent article regarding the word of the year selection,
A nation, a workplace, an ethnicity, a passion, an outsized personality. The people who comprise these things, who fawn or rail against them, are behind Merriam-Webster’s 2014 word of the year: culture.
What is a workplace culture?
Workplace culture is the invisible essence of your organization as embodied by the people who work there. Our goal at Legacy Business Cultures, through our surveys, training, speakers and coaching, is to offer your organization the tools to develop positive growth and facilitate a respectful workplace culture.
As a tribute to Merriam-Webster’s word of the year for 2014, here is a selection of posts from the Respectful Workplace blog that relate to the topic of workplace cultures. In these articles, Barbara Richman gives a list of actions to create a more respectful culture for your organization and Erica Pinsky presents Respect Tips to ensure you know where your culture is. Finally, Michael Kerr gives us an example of a work culture built on laughter.
10 Actions You Can Focus on to Influence Culture of Respect, Civility in your Workplace
By Barbara Richman, SPHR
Imagine a work environment where all communications and interactions were conducted in a civil and respectful manner. Co-workers and customers would be treated respectfully on a consistent basis. There would be no place for harassment, discrimination, bullying, workplace violence, unethical actions, or other disrespectful and potentially illegal behaviors.
Do You Know Where Your Culture Is?
By Erica Pinsky
A number of years ago I heard a story from a participant in a respectful workplace workshop. On her third or fourth day at work she joined a table in the lunchroom with a few other members of her new team. A supervisor walked in, heated up her lunch, and left. When the supervisor left, everyone at the table began to talk about her in a very insulting and degrading manner.
Leading with Laughter to Build an Inspiring Workplace Culture
By Michael Kerr
I sat down a awhile back with Paul Spiegelman, the founder and CEO of Beryl and the author of “Why is Everyone Smiling?” at Beryl’s headquarters in Bedford, Texas. Paul Spiegelman is a truly inspiring leader, someone who has nurtured one of the top workplaces in the world.