Your Culture Matters as Much as Your Legal Compliance

by May 23, 2024

Legal compliance serves as the bedrock of any organization. While it lays the foundation, a positive workplace culture breathes life into your organization. A strong, supportive culture fosters employee engagement, boosts morale, and enhances productivity. 

This balance between compliance and culture was at the heart of our discussion on last week’s Catherine’s Corner, where we explored California Laws 2024 and Their Effect on Workplace Culture. 

Catherine was joined by employment lawyer Jenna Leyton-Jones and HR consultant Anita Nygaard, and together they unpacked the significant changes coming our way.

If you missed the live show, don’t worry! You can catch the recording right here:

Here are the new laws in California that are set to make a significant impact:

Here are some key takeaways from the conversation:

  • These new laws underscore California’s dedication to creating safer, harassment-free workplaces.
  • Fostering a positive work environment requires clear organizational values, respectful communication, and a focus on work-life balance. 
  • Upstander training empowers employees to address toxic behavior by teaching them how to intervene and support targets. With that said, we made our course, Bystander Training: From Bystander to Upstander, FREE for you! Check it out now! 
  • Auditing risk factors that contribute to toxic behavior is essential for organizations to identify and address underlying issues. 

As July 1st approaches, it’s a great time to ensure your organization is up-to-date with these changes, especially if you’re in California. But remember, the principles of workplace safety and positive culture are universal and benefit everyone, no matter where your team is based.

Recognize that culture and compliance efforts are two sides of the same coin, each enhancing the other to drive our organizations forward.

PS: We are delighted to announce that Suzanne Hoffman, PhD, has joined our team as our Workplace Violence Expert! She offers an interactive and practical workplace violence prevention training program designed to help attendees recognize and report concerning and threatening behaviors.

For more information on our training programs, check it out here or get in touch with us

webinar

PPS: Don’t forget to register for our upcoming webinar! Our expert speakers, Catherine and Bob, will equip you with invaluable strategies to manage conflicts arising from political conversations at work, whether in the upcoming elections or global conflicts.

Reserve your spot today. You definitely won’t want to miss this!

 

Written by: Jennifer Areola

Civility is the platform for organizational success—it is absolutely necessary for an organization to reach its goals. Download our Ebook on Seeking Civility to learn more on how to create a workplace free of bullying and abusive conduct.

 

About Catherine Mattice

Catherine Mattice, MA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP is President of consulting and training firm, Civility Partners, and has been successfully providing programs in workplace bullying and building positive workplaces since 2007. Her clients include Fortune 500’s, the military, several universities and hospitals, government agencies, small businesses and nonprofits. She has published in a variety of trade magazines and has appeared several times on NPR, FOX, NBC, and ABC as an expert, as well as in USA Today, Inc Magazine, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur Magazine, and more. Catherine is Past-President of the Association for Talent Development (ATD), San Diego Chapter and teaches at National University. In his book foreword, Ken Blanchard called her book, BACK OFF! Your Kick-Ass Guide to Ending Bullying at Work, “the most comprehensive and valuable handbook on the topic.” She recently released a second book entitled, SEEKING CIVILITY: How Leaders, Managers and HR Can Create a Workplace Free of Bullying.

Make a Positive Impact & Earn $ With Civility Partners

You read our blog every week because you care about an inclusive work environment for all individuals at all levels. Either you consult in a similar space, or want to have an impact on your own workplace. For the past 15 years, Civility Partners has been on a mission...

How to Coach Abrasive, or Bullying Leaders

Consider that abrasive leaders, or workplace bullies, engage in aggressive behavior mainly because they’ve been allowed to by their own boss, even encouraged to through promotions, accolades and increased pay.  Their high value to the organization (e.g., sales,...

MIT, Glassdoor, and Deloitte all say people care more about culture than pay: Why aren’t you focused on culture?

Research everywhere speaks volumes. It consistently highlights a significant shift: People care more about workplace culture than their salaries. So, why aren't more companies prioritizing workplace culture?   The Disconnect: Why Culture Gets Overlooked Here are...

3 Reasons Your Hiring Process is Too Lengthy and How to Fix it

Hiring the right person is essential, but a drawn-out hiring process can harm your organization more than you might realize. Missed opportunities, decreased productivity, and losing top candidates to competitors are just a few of the costly consequences. While being...

5 Skills Your Managers Need (But Probably Don’t Have) to Effectively Interview Job Applicants

Did you know that 76% of hiring managers admit that attracting the right job candidates is their greatest challenge? Why? Because many managers lack key skills needed for effective interviewing. Culture matters to employees, but it’s just as crucial for hiring. Keep...

Concerned about discussions of opposing political views at work?

Election season is here, bringing with it a flood of discussions, debates, and distractions. Add global tensions dominating the news, and it's easy to see why employees might struggle to stay focused… especially if they have opposing views from their colleagues… and...

3 Savvy Ways to Spend Your Budget Surplus

It’s halfway through the year, and for some companies, the fiscal year is wrapping up, leaving them with an unexpected budget surplus.  While it might be tempting to funnel these extra funds into new equipment or throw after-hours parties, there's a more strategic...

Implicit Bias Training That Works

A significant barrier to achieving a diverse and inclusive workforce is implicit bias. Implicit bias occurs when, for instance, you hear the word "engineer" and immediately assume it is a man, or hear "teacher" and assume it is a woman. Have you ever been guilty of...

Over 50% of Workers Now Value Balance and Belonging Over Climbing the Corporate Ladder

Yesterday, I came across research by Randstad and it really got me thinking about how much the workplace landscape is changing. This study included insights from 27,000 workers worldwide and what really caught my attention was that nearly half of the respondents—47%,...

Your Culture Matters as Much as Your Legal Compliance

Legal compliance serves as the bedrock of any organization. While it lays the foundation, a positive workplace culture breathes life into your organization. A strong, supportive culture fosters employee engagement, boosts morale, and enhances productivity.  This...