Catherine Mattice* (pictured) shares some of the reasons her organisation has developed from a small office to a larger one and how its growth has depended on a positive and healthy workplace.
As I walked into our new office space a few weeks ago, I couldn’t help but take a deep breath and realise just how far Civility Partners has come.
Although it was more than a decade ago, it feels like just yesterday I was sitting on the floor of my studio apartment, eating takeaways and digging deep into research about workplace bullying.
In those days, when I told people I met that I was a consultant specialising in resolving workplace bullying, they responded by joking that I must get hired to beat people up.
Or they’d tell me I could never have a viable consulting firm focused on that topic, and needed to be (yet another) leadership coach or communication skills trainer.
But I stuck to my guns.
Today, when I mention what I do, 48 per cent of people pour their hearts out and share their own bullying story. The other 52 per cent say: “I wish I knew you when I was at my last company. I quit because of a bully.”
Workplace bullying has received a lot of attention since I started this journey, and Civility Partners has come a long way.
Because I’m celebrating this milestone and Civility Partners’ growth, I thought I’d share some of what we do internally to keep our own workplace positive and healthy.
Transparency creates meaning in our work:
My employees know Civility Partners’ revenue, where we are with financial goals, and the things that keep me up at night as the Chief Executive.
So we brainstorm regularly to problem solve, innovate, and grow.
As a result, my employees are attached to Civility Partners. It’s more than a job to them; it’s something they are building.
We have fun:
We have lunch together, go on walks together to get outside, and meet for happy hour.
We genuinely enjoy each other’s company. (And we don’t let non-fun people work here).
We love millennial-mentality:
Although people seem to be annoyed that millennials want respect and time off, I think they’re on to something.
We’ve developed a culture of people feeling free to go home if they aren’t their best self or need time to study or remove distractions.
We’ve all taken advantage of it (even me).
Employee opinions are valued:
My employees picked our new office space and provided motivational quotes for our quote wall.
They constantly provide input on products, services, procedures and work. They are co-captains, not employees.
Our office set up is open to facilitate collaboration — our desks are essentially in a circle — so we can talk to each other, ask questions, and easily collaborate.
These are just some of the fun things we do here to keep us positive. What are you doing?
*Catherine Mattice is a consultant and trainer who assists organisations in developing systemic action plans to build positive corporate cultures. She can be contacted at www.civilitypartners.com.
This article first appeared on Catherine’s blogsite.
