Building a Better Workplace: Recent Trends in Professional Responsibility
While misconduct, harassment, and other types of behavior detrimental in the workplace are not new, the public and private sectors are developing innovative and creative ways to tackle them. Recent trends in professional responsibility highlight how behavioral science, data-driven decision-making, risk management, and technology assist Government agencies and their professional responsibility functions to address adverse workplace behavior.
Behavioral science is a new and growing field that is gaining traction, particularly in the public sector. By understanding that individuals are not always rational actors, practitioners use this knowledge and various tools to influence human behavior and decision-making. Human dynamics are at the heart of addressing adverse workplace behavior. Understanding beliefs, motivations, leadership styles, and organizational culture can inform the solutions the government develops to address and influence workplace conduct. Behavioral science approaches influence strategic communication campaigns and could design posters and messages to reinforce correct behavior and developing training managers and leaders on how to nudge employees in their organization to follow policies or report misconduct when it happens.
Beyond behavioral science, data is a vital part of the formal professional responsibility functions within an agency. Data can provide information on the number of allegations submitted or investigations conducted over time. Situating data about allegations and investigations within the operating environment can help professional responsibility offices better understand when there might be spikes in allegations or whether there is a correlation between the number of people reporting adverse workplace behavior and the number of individuals who observe or were victims, but do not report. Robust data analysis can improve decision-making and enable agencies to be proactive rather than reactive in addressing adverse workplace conduct.
Technology systems for managing cases and strong data analytics can help agencies assess and influence behavior, evaluate and mitigate risk, and address internal threats. Machine-learning algorithms can help identify misconduct trends and potential risks that data analysts might otherwise miss. This has great potential to draw connections from discreet points to present a picture of an organization’s culture and workplace.
As agencies advance their ability to prevent misconduct or address it quickly when it occurs, it is critical that they prioritize communication and senior leadership focus on this issue, data collection and analysis, and technology to support an integrated, end-to-end process for agencies. This reduces misconduct and provides a comfortable work environment that allows the workforce to focus on the mission of the agency.
