#SHRM18 Q&A With Speaker Geoffrey Scheer – Respect In the Workplace

Respect In the Workplace – Being vocal on this workplace topic shouldn’t be left up to HR, but we should start the conversation and keep it going, especially in this current political climate of the world. Geoffrey is bringing something different to SHRM presentations by having a theater-based session, and it’s one I’m very excited to see. Check Geoffrey out on Monday 06/18/2018 at 2:00 p.m. His session link to find out more about his session and add it to your SHRM18 Schedule is here Respect In the Workplace – SHRM18

Geoffrey, in this current economic climate, what are 3 key tips to being respectful in the workplace?

GS: The first and most important step is to recognize the humanity in your coworkers. Today’s technology has enormous benefits, allowing us to connect with anyone, anytime and from anywhere. But for all the connections we make on our smartphones, laptops and other devices, we lose honest, face to face, human interaction. So, finding ways to connect on a human level is the first key. Next is to cultivate a sense of curiosity. Being genuinely interested in other people allows us to celebrate the ways in which they are different while also understanding that we are all fundamentally the same. And finally, remember the golden rule. Treat others the way you would want to be treated and you usually can’t go wrong.

What can an organization do to create a more diverse workplace?

GS: It starts with understanding the benefits of diversity. In my presentation, I cite multiple reasons why a diverse workforce is beneficial, including studies which show that companies that are more open to diversity are more than twice as profitable. Diverse companies are better able to serve an increasingly diverse client base and stocking your organization with people who have different life experiences means they’ll be able to look at problems from multiple angles and come up with more creative solutions. As far as how you go about proactively building that diverse workforce, an article from the Wall Street Journal offers some great advice, including developing a hiring strategy that reflects your region’s demographics, talking to community organizations to try and locate diverse candidates and providing diversity training in the workplace, particularly for managers.

You speak about training a lot in your session, according to the session notes, how can HR get leaderships buy-in to training in the workplace?

GS: If I knew an easy trick for that, I’d have a lot more business! Most of my working life is spent convincing organizations to hire my company to provide training, and there are a number of approaches I take. But ultimately it comes down to getting them to see that respect in the workplace training is the right thing to do (morally and ethically) and it’s the smart thing to do (it’ll increase the bottom line!!).

What are you most excited about for your session at SHRM18?

GS: Anytime I do a presentation for SHRM — whether it’s a chapter meeting, workshop or conference — I come out of it with a deeper understanding of the issues people face in the workplace and better tools to help address those issues. SHRM18 represents an opportunity to connect with a wide range of HR professionals from all around the country in a short span of time. While I’m eager to share my drama-based program with them, I’m most excited to find out what they can teach me! (And in a close second place … pizza!)