Just Work

"Love is a radical shift... Love assures me that giving you what you need is a way of ministering to myself, to the Us that you and I together make." — Kim Scott

1. The Hidden Costs of Silence

Staying silent in the face of inappropriate behavior might feel like the easier path, but it carries negative effects for everyone involved. Kim Scott shares a personal experience when someone mistook her for event staff simply because she was a woman. While unsure whether it was bias, prejudice, or bullying, she didn’t speak up, and this silence perpetuated the problem.

When you stay quiet, the one causing harm doesn’t get the chance to grow, and you internalize resentment or discomfort. This silence erodes collaboration and respect within teams, creating a workplace where trust and understanding are scarce. Worse yet, it reinforces a culture where offensive behavior goes unchecked, fostering a toxic environment.

Open communication, even when awkward, is key to preventing harm and promoting progress. By speaking up, not only do you protect yourself, but you also give others the chance to adjust harmful behavior before it escalates.

Examples

• Kim Scott faced discomfort when a man mistook her as event staff, but her silence failed to address his unconscious bias.
• Employees avoiding confrontation with offensive jokes often foster quietly hostile environments.
• Some workplaces suffer low morale because silent employees let issues, like unfair promotions, persist without intervention.

2. Naming the Problem: Bias, Prejudice, or Bullying?

Understanding the distinction between bias, prejudice, and bullying is essential for addressing workplace conflicts effectively. Bias stems from unconscious stereotypes, prejudice comes from consciously held beliefs, and bullying is simply hurtful, mean behavior. Accurately labeling an issue allows for quicker solutions.

When you’re confronted with someone’s behavior and unsure how to respond, use simple frameworks. For bias, an “I” statement invites reflection (e.g., “I don’t work here, I’m about to give a speech”). For prejudice, an “it” statement enforces boundaries (“It’s against policy”). For bullying, respond directly with a “you” statement or question, such as, “You cannot talk to me like that.”

By using these methods, individuals develop tools to handle a range of challenging interactions confidently and respectfully, ensuring minimal disruption in a professional atmosphere.

Examples

• Addressing bias with “I” statements helps people confront unintentional stereotypes.
• Prejudice, like dismissing a colleague due to race or gender, requires firm “it” statements tied to rules or ethics.
• Bullying behaviors, such as public insults, are best managed by drawing firm boundaries with phrases like, “That’s unacceptable.”

3. Confronting Personal Bias

Even well-meaning individuals harbor biases, but acknowledging and addressing them fosters better relationships and workplace unity. When Bart kept misgendering his colleague Avery, he owned up to his repeated mistakes and welcomed feedback to improve.

Bart amplified this learning opportunity by creating a company training program focused on supporting colleagues in expressing their true identities. This proactive step built a culture of awareness and respect. The first step in addressing bias is actively identifying it, often by soliciting constructive feedback from colleagues.

Instead of becoming defensive when called out, acknowledging mistakes demonstrates vulnerability and commitment to change. Apologies should aim to be specific, while actions following those apologies ensure real progress.

Examples

• Bart asked his team to help correct his bias when he misgendered Avery, showing leadership in action.
• Leaders who solicit external inclusion experts avoid overburdening underrepresented employees with unpaid education efforts.
• Identifying “harmless” biases, such as mistaking one employee for another based on race, enhances daily interactions.

4. The Role of Upstanders

Upstanders are allies who actively intervene when they observe unjust actions, whether to confront bias, prejudice, or bullying. Aileen Lee’s male colleague stepped in when executives ignored her expertise and directed their attention to him. By switching seats with Aileen, his simple gesture shifted the room’s dynamic in her favor.

Upstanders can intervene in multiple ways: directly addressing the issue, delegating help, creating distractions, documenting incidents, or checking in later. Their actions don’t have to be dramatic; small interventions can dismantle harmful attitudes.

Avoid the temptation to act as a “knight in shining armor.” Effective upstanding isn’t about heroism but fostering growth and fairness for everyone.

Examples

• Aileen’s colleague improved the meeting dynamic with one strategic action.
• A distracted coworker deflects tension during verbal altercations, giving victims room to breathe.
• Documenting harassment helps others effectively handle repeat offenders.

5. Proactive Leadership Prevents Harm

Leaders set the tone for whether a workplace culture flourishes or festers. Leaders must teach teams to confront bias immediately, create clear codes of conduct, and establish consequences for bullying behavior. This proactive approach prevents poor conduct from spiraling into normalized toxicity.

Creating shared language around bias ensures everyone feels confident addressing issues as they arise. Consequences, meanwhile, ensure actions align with team values—for instance, refusing promotions to employees exhibiting bullying behaviors, even if they perform well otherwise.

Employees tend to emulate their leaders, so when leaders prioritize respect and collaboration, teams naturally follow.

Examples

• Shared phrases like “bias alert” normalize disruption of unconscious biases.
• Teams with clear codes of conduct deter prejudice and inappropriate behavior.
• Firms refusing to promote “brilliant jerks” discourage toxic patterns at high levels.

6. Power and Its Pitfalls

Power amplifies issues of bias, prejudice, and bullying, turning them into legal violations like discrimination or harassment. Decisions around hiring, pay, and promotions should not be left to one individual to avoid abuses of power.

Leaders should create systems where power is distributed through checks and balances. Sharing decision-making responsibility reduces the likelihood of unchecked influence leading to harassment or discrimination.

By decentralizing power, organizations ensure safer, fairer environments, minimizing risks of harmful dynamics flourishing unchecked.

Examples

• Google’s hiring adjustments avoided over-relying on unilateral opinions impacting inclusion.
• Decision panels prevent isolated authority figures from favoring personal biases unchecked.
• Clear guidelines allow organizations to root out power-driven violations swiftly.

7. Metrics Drive Diversity

Diversity isn’t possible without first analyzing gaps and identifying the root causes of exclusion. Leaders should monitor workplace trends regarding hiring, pay, and promotions to understand where underrepresentation persists and then take explicit steps to address it.

Alan Eustace at Google analyzed why women weren’t joining its engineering team, collaborated with institutions with diverse graduates, and reshaped hiring practices. Applying analytical effort toward people data produces systematic change.

Leaders who view homogeneity as a technical bug—and address it as formally as they would any major setback—create workplaces that perform stronger.

Examples

• Google’s outreach with Harvey Mudd College boosted women’s participation in engineering pipelines.
• Team audits measuring pay disparities ensure gender equality remains visible.
• Regular tracking of mentorship access prevents certain groups from falling behind.

8. Building a Culture of Consent

Respect for personal boundaries, especially touch, fosters safety within teams. Leaders create these conditions by teaching employees never to assume touching is welcome, even for something like a handshake, without verbal consent.

The pandemic era created an opportunity to reinforce these norms, replacing unspoken customs like handshakes or pats on the back with communication-first approaches. Allowing reports to remain anonymous empowers employees to voice concerns without fear of retaliation.

This culture of consent builds a workplace where individual agency is respected and valued.

Examples

• Encouraging safer greeting options post-COVID reinforces thoughtful consent.
• Removing unilateral reporting structures increases confidence in safe handling of violations.
• Policies forbidding workplace relationships hierarchically foster fair environments.

9. Love and Joy as Strengths

Kim Scott highlights that love and joy complement fairness, serving as the emotional foundation for creating just workplaces. Love leads us to prioritize shared needs, while joy fosters meaningful connections and open discussions.

Developing empathy and respect between colleagues transforms workplace culture. Honest dialogues build bridges and allow hard conversations to start with mutual goodwill.

Rather than dreading efforts to build fairness, focusing on love and joy can make the process inspiring and energizing.

Examples

• Kim and Tiffani Lee held candid conversations about race, finding laughter and relief despite tough topics.
• Workplaces celebrating small gestures foster broader, authentic connections.
• Centering team-building around shared optimism cultivates mutual respect naturally.

Takeaways

1. Practice confronting bias immediately using frameworks like “I” statements for reflection, “it” for boundaries, and “you” for bullies.
2. Leaders should monitor workplace metrics to detect discrimination trends, then apply specific actions to fix them.
3. Focus on love and joy as continuous motivations to build better, more inclusive work environments for everyone involved.