109: Stand Up to Disrespectful Behavior with Emily May

Disrespect in the workplace rarely begins with full blown harassment. Before it escalates, teams often see signs of demeaning behavior such as ignoring someone’s contributions, off-colored jokes, and intentional undermining. As a manager, and good human, it’s your responsibility to end these minor offenses before they become normalized, leading to much worse. Today’s guest is Emily May. Emily is an international leader in the movement to end harassment — in all its forms. In 2005, at the age of 24, she co-founded Hollaback! in New York City, and in 2010 she became its first full-time executive director. Our executive director has also won many awards for her leadership, including the TEDCity 2.0 Prize. Emily has a Master’s Degree in Social Policy from the London School of Economics, is an Ashoka Fellow and a Prime Movers Fellow.   Emily shares the 5 Ds of bystander intervention, explaining various ways you can help when you notice disrespectful behaviors in your workplace.  Get 10% off trainings with Hollaback! when you join the Modern Manager community  Get free mini-guide at www.themodernmanager.co/miniguides. Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox.  Have you worked for a rock star manager? Be part of the research for my next book - schedule your 45 minute interview at www.managerialgreatness.com Read the related blog article: What To Do When You Witness Disrespect In The Workplace Key Takeaways: There is a spectrum of disrespectful behaviors ranging from mild - not listening to each other, intentional undermining, shaming via jokes - to severe - harassing comments, sexual innuendos, inappropriate touching. Cultures that accept mild behaviors tend to slowly accept more aggressive ones. It’s important to interrupt small behaviors so they don’t take root.  Don’t wait until it ‘qualifies’ as harassment and requires attention from HR. Use the 5 Ds to appropriately interrupt disrespectful behaviors. The 5 Ds of bystander intervention: Distract, Delegate, Document, Delay, Direct. Distract: create a distraction that redirects attention, giving both parties a chance to disengage. Try engaging the person experiencing the disrespect in a conversation or asking for their help. Or, make a commotion. Delegate: find the appropriate authority or someone else to help with the situation. This may be an HR team member or a nearby colleague who is more comfortable engaging.