Professionalism Is as Professionalism Does
“Behavior is contagious. Bad behavior spreads faster.” ~ Adam Grant, Organizational
Psychiatrist
Last week, I led a webinar called Professionalism Matters: Raising the Bar on Workplace
Behavior. Because we’ve all been there when someone in our workplace, on our team, gets
away with something bad. They may not steal or lie or cheat, but their behavior tells you they
easily could. They might be rude, show up late, are inconsistent in the quality of their work,
gossip, or display poor decision making when communicating. They rarely take responsibility for
their actions and are really good at shifting blame but taking praise.
In short, they lack professionalism. Research tells us that it can spread like wildfire leaving a
path of lost profits, lost employees, and lost time on the job. Just one toxic employee in a 20-
person team can drop productivity by 30–40% and increase turnover risk by 54%. It was
reported in 2022 that workplace misconduct (harassment, bullying, etc.) cost the U.S. economy
$8.5 billion in lost work hours.
Who’s responsible? The toxic employee or the organizational leader who first, hires them, and
second lets them stay in spite of the disruptive (or rude, or harassing, or bullying) behavior? As I
am fond of saying, “One of the worst ways to lead people is to let a person get away with bad
behavior or performance.” If leaders fail to recognize a damaging employee, they will leave the
costs of that damage on the table.
So, what do we do? Luckily there are few things that can lessen the damage. Here they are:
- Set Clear Expectations and Implement Them Fairly: Establish and communicate
clear guidelines regarding professional conduct and consistently, fairly address the
situation.
- Provide Training: Offer workshops and resources to educate employees on
- professionalism and workplace etiquette.
- Lead by Example: Management should model professional behavior to set a standard
for the team.
- Encourage Open Communication: Foster an environment where employees feel
comfortable discussing concerns and providing feedback.
- Promote a culture of Accountability and Professional Excellence:
o Share resources, recognition, gratitude, feedback, and purpose.
o De-energize negative relationships.
o Recognize your own issues with incivility & solve them
o “Bosses” matter – strong exemplary leadership is crucial
Professionalism is a quality possessed by those who are taught to do better.
Stay strong and lead the way,
Jeff
