Dignity and Respect Program
At G4S Secure Solutions USA, where I served as the President, we had 45,000 employees and 700 management staff driving a security business throughout the US.
Training was a key foundation for this business, and we trained extremely well at all levels to ensure all staff and management were clear on procedures and policies. A key element of a workforce of this size in a high-pressure environment was, and will continue to be, treating all with respect, empathy, and clarity.
We did not have a clear answer to this dynamic as we thought it was intuitive and natural for people to behave well. Stress, time sensitive must have actions, profit and loss, customer dynamics and the like would test all management’s abilities to adhere to respectful and empathetic behaviors. Most got it right. But when a local office or a more senior leader did not, what a mess.
This is where Mike Hogsten stepped in to pioneer his Dignity and Respect program. Expertly developed to help these situations and with Mike’s ability to connect to our teams, it was genuinely like a light was switched on for those who went through the program. Complaints became a two-way discussion, disagreements became opportunities and most of all, the hourly worker was viewed as our most valued asset and the management teams transformed into a cohesive unit with common ground as the platform vs varied agendas.
My endorsement comes from 34 years in a labor-intensive business and fact that the maturation of management teams is so varied from an EQ vs IQ perspective, a little help from the Dignity and Respect team covers more ground than one would expect, and the ROI is twofold. One, it is simply the right thing to do. Second, the direct P&L benefit of reduced turnover, HR complaints and productivity is in the 100’s of thousands, if not millions depending on your business.
I am a beneficiary of this program as an employer and an employee!