Diagnosing and Treating Workplace Issues- An Application of the Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory Introduction

Every management seeks to create a conducive and healthy work environment. Such an environment benefits both employees and the entity. Civility is one of the elements that characterize a healthy workplace. Civility is demonstrated through politeness, courtesy, kindness, a sense of discreteness, respect for each other, and empathy. Incorporating these values within an organization’s culture ensures that the work environment is homogenous in all departments. In the healthcare sector, providing nurses with a healthy work environment ensures that clients receive the best quality of care and further promotes collaboration and high productivity. The importance of civility in the workplace is heightened by the constant interactions with clients and necessary collaboration with other healthcare workers.

Part 1: Work Environment Assessment

The score that was obtained from the Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory was 85 of 100. This score indicates a healthy workplace. As denoted by the assessment tool, a score within the range of 80 to 90 is considered moderately healthy. Most of the questions were rated 4 or 5. None of the questions were rated below 3, which is neutral. The statements assess the organization’s culture, shared vision, development opportunities for employees, respect, open communication, shared decision-making, teamwork, collaboration, workload distribution, competitive pay, and benefits, as well as employee satisfaction (Clark, 2015).

My organization scored the least determination of discernible trust between the leaders and followers. The other low score occurred in the assessment of the organization’s culture consistently. The second lowest score was obtained in the members’ ability to subscribe to a shared vision, active shared decision-making and governance, wellness, self-care, sufficient development resources, respect and fairness, workload distribution in a fair manner, effective conflict resolution, free expression of ideas, competitive remuneration, career advancement opportunities attraction and retention of talent, and recommendation of the organization as a good employer. The highest score was observed in respectful, direct, and transparent communication, value asserted on human resources, publicizing and celebrating achievements, as well as high employee engagement and satisfaction.

The results that surprised me included the lack of clear discernible trust between leaders and their followers, as well as the lack of constant assessment of the entity’s culture. I had not realized that these aspects were existent in the organization since I had not paid attention. However, they are repeatedly demonstrated in the interactions between leaders and followers in subtle ways. Furthermore, I was unaware that the organizational culture needs constant assessment and improvement. This is not an aspect that I have observed in the organization despite having a strong corporate culture that is easy to identify and teach. However, its assessment is a new concept, which seems important in ensuring that the organization’s values are effectively and consistently upheld through organizational practices and policies.

Part 2: Reviewing the Literature

In the pursuit of civility at the workplace, Clark’s Healthy Workplace Inventory proves to be a critical tool. Civility is depicted in specific behaviours. These include honesty and politeness during communication, respect for other employees, courtesy, professional appropriateness in all communications, and trustworthiness. Civility is intended to achieve two objectives. First, it should create a work environment that encourages the engagement of all employees. Secondly, it enables the provision of better customer service due to a high level of engagement and teamwork. These actions match the definition of civility, which is ‘claiming and caring for one’s identity, needs and beliefs without degrading someone else’s in the process’ (Reed, Whitten, & Jeremiah, 2019, p.168). The definition emphasizes fostering respect for other people’s respect and for oneself as well.

Unfortunately, uncivil behaviour is rampant in organizations in various sectors. These uncivil behaviours are demonstrated through the provision of negative feedback in public, lack of greetings, exclusion of other staff members in activities that require their input, offensive comments, and disrespectful actions. These actions seem normal in human interactions in the workplace. However, the victims tend to translate these behaviours into the process of service delivery. Their commitment to the organization diminishes significantly, which leads to high turnover. Therefore, it is important to ensure that civility is incorporated into the workplace for lower turnover, increased employee satisfaction, an