Seeking Fairness at Work
What is fairness at work? In her latest book, Seeking Fairness at Work, Hanna Hasl-Kelchner explores this issue, starting with what employees secretly wish they could tell their boss about workplace unfairness. From there: what constitutes fairness, common dispiriting workplace norms, and the role of power in the workplace. With the issues outlined, she provides an excellent strategy for improving fairness at work.
Employee engagement—a subject we’re passionate about—is central to fairness. When workers feel supported, are included and feel like they belong, they become engaged and bring extra energy and effort to their work because they're emotionally and intellectually committed. The hard data Hasl-Kelchner provides supports the value of high employee engagement and the cost of low employee engagement making it difficult to put “the burden on the workers to shape up” when engagement is low.
In exploring norms, she touches on aspirational values, such as dignity and respect, often found in vision and mission statements. What occurs, however, when behaviors by people in power don't model these values and are excused? Employees might stay and accept trade-offs, but they will not bring extra energy nor their best work.
She delves into common categories of dispiriting workplace norms that can hijack employee engagement:
unapproachability,
lack of recognition,
bias,
poor conflict management, and
poor workload management
Finally, there’s workplace power—or the balance of power. When employees see individuals perceived to be powerful acting contrary to the aspirational values, the culture of the workplace community shifts often creating an “us versus them” mindset and discouraging honest communication. Leaders must be mindful of using their power and authority in a way that's grounded in mutual respect and healthy boundaries if they want to ensure employees’ trust, loyalty, and engagement.
Interspersed throughout the book are Fairness Factors, many of which are action items that managers and leaders can take. They're all reminders to treat employees with dignity and respect. Hasl-Kelchner ends each chapter with a reality checklist that provides good summaries of the chapters.
Hanna Hasl-Kelchner brings a wealth of information, knowledge, and experience to this book. She has an easy style which makes it an enjoyable read that should be on every leader’s bookshelf. We were honored to have been quoted and included in this award-winning book. Fairness is a management and leadership imperative.