The Drama-Free Workplace

The Drama-Free Workplace

by Patti Perez
Released April 2019
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9781119546429

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Book description

Eliminate sexual harassment, unconscious bias, ethical lapses and other HR nightmares!

Companies spend millions on legal compliance training and initiatives to eliminate workplace drama and the resulting low morale and lawsuits, but don’t always get the results they want. Most organizations understand that simply checking legal compliance boxes around sexual harassment, bias, etc. isn’t enough, but are at a loss on how to implement solutions, especially in today’s post-#MeToo world.

Patti Perez is an attorney, HR expert, trainer, and former state regulator, who has conducted over 1,200 workplace investigations. In this unique book, she explains the secret to avoiding all forms of drama, legal exposure, and low morale: A healthy workplace culture. Patti combines the lessons learned from 25 years of professional experience with robust data from behavioral science research to debunk common myths, including the belief that a focus on legal compliance leads to a healthy workplace culture. (In fact, it increases the likelihood of getting sued).

The Drama-Free Workplace includes a section with easy-to-understand causes, effects and solutions to problems related to:

  • Sexual harassment
  • Bias and diversity
  • Ethics lapses

The book also includes helpful information on:

  • Becoming an organization that values and practices fearlessness, fairness and freedom
  • Anticipating situations that give rise to drama, with detailed advice on how to prevent it from happening
  • Using emotional intelligence to communicate more precisely and persuasively about sensitive, controversial topics in the workplace

Finally, the book’s DIY section guides companies on how to:

  • draft and enforce helpful policies (that employees will actually read and *want* to follow)
  • design and deliver powerful and effective training programs
  • investigate and resolve claims of sexual harassment and other types of misconduct.

Together, these practical tools will help all your employees feel valued and motivated, and keep drama, disengagement, and lawsuits, away.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Foreword
  3. Acknowledgments
  4. About the Author
  5. Introduction
  6. PART I. Diagnosis Drama: What You Can Do to Identify, Prevent, and Fix Workplace Drama
    1. Chapter 1. How to Blow Up an Organization (and Rise from the Ashes)
      1. #WorkplaceDrama: Identifying Problematic Behavior
      2. Root Causes of Workplace Drama
      3. Legal Compliance: Friend or Foe?
      4. The #1 Culture Problem in Organizations: A Lack of Authenticity
      5. The Courage to Be Different (and Therefore Effective): Focus on the Good
    2. Chapter 2. Why Is Sexual Harassment Still a Thing and What We Must Do to Fix It
      1. The Road to #MeToo
      2. Are We All on the Same Page? Key Legal Definitions and Clarifications
      3. Leading Predictors of Workplace Sexual Harassment
      4. Other Factors That Contribute to Sexual Harassment
      5. Sexual Harassment: The Cure
      6. Notes
    3. Chapter 3. Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging . . . Not Just PC BS
      1. Unconscious Bias Explained
      2. D, I, & B . . . What’s the Difference (and Why Does it Matter)?
      3. Best Practices and Emerging Trends for Creating, Executing, and Selling Your Initiative
      4. Notes
    4. Chapter 4. Ethics LapsesThey’re More Common Than You Think
      1. Where Ethics Lapses Begin
      2. Leading Causes and Warning Signs of Unethical Behavior at the Corporate Level
      3. Best Prevention Techniques
      4. Notes
  7. PART II. “Hiking” to the Top of the Healthy Workplace Culture Pyramid
    1. Chapter 5. Reaching the Top of the Healthy Workplace Culture Pyramid  The Three Fs
      1. Getting Started
      2. Fearlessness
      3. Fairness
      4. Freedom
      5. Why Your Hike Requires Measuring Risk and Opportunity
      6. Notes
    2. Chapter 6. Anticipating and Preparing for Drama-Causing Events
      1. Anticipating Workplace Drama
      2. Leading Drama Producer: Corporate Change
      3. Leading Drama Producer: Faulty Processes that Lead to Poor Decision-Making
      4. Leading Drama Producer: Failure to Observe, Analyze, and Course-Correct
      5. Notes
    3. Chapter 7. Make Your Journey Easier Choose the Less Treacherous Path
      1. What We Can Learn from Companies That Embrace a Safety Culture
      2. Translating Safety Accomplishments to Achieve a Healthy Workplace Culture
      3. Accident/Injury Reduction versus Drama Reduction: A Side-by-Side Comparison
      4. Notes
    4. Chapter 8. Reduce Drama Through Precise and Persuasive Communication
      1. The Most Common Communication Failures That Lead to Drama
      2. Improve Your Emotional Intelligence to Communicate More Precisely
      3. Using Emotional Intelligence to Keep Drama Away
      4. The Cassandra Curse: How Not to Be Persuasive
      5. Breaking the Curse: How to Be More Persuasive
      6. Notes
  8. PART III. A DIY Roadmap for Creating and Maintaining a Drama-Free Culture
    1. Chapter 9. Policies, Schmolicies . . . How to Write and Enforce the Right Rules
      1. Policies Should Set Expectations, Not Restrict Freedom
      2. Top 10 Mistakes in a Typical Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy
      3. Say Goodbye to Legal Jargon and Hello to Clarity and Positivity
      4. Notes
    2. Chapter 10. Your Step-by-Step Guide to Designing and Delivering Effective Workplace Training
      1. What’s Kept Training from Moving the Needle?
      2. What Does Work?
      3. Step-by-Step Guide to Implementing a Successful Training Program
      4. Notes
    3. Chapter 11. How to Effectively Investigate and Resolve Claims of  Workplace Misconduct
      1. Best Practices for Getting Started
      2. The Qualities of an Excellent Workplace Sleuth
      3. Determining Whether a Full Investigation Is Necessary
      4. Conducting Investigations That Get to the Truth and Fix Problems: A Step-by-Step Guide
    4. Appendix. Supporting Documents for Conducting Investigations
      1. Checklist
      2. Potential Witnesses
      3. Documents to Review
      4. Other Notes
      5. Introduction
      6. Witness Background
      7. Closing the Interview
    5. EULA

Product information

  • Title: The Drama-Free Workplace
  • Author(s): Patti Perez
  • Release date: April 2019
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9781119546429