NHS Tayside - Dignity at Work Policy

The re-launch of NHS Tayside’s Dignity at Work policy in August 2008 marked the start of an innovative initiative in which Managers and teams were able to discuss and agree their own standards of behaviour. The Dignity at Work Group, through the Area Partnership Forum (APF), highlighted the need for each team to understand and apply to their daily working lives the APF’s principles of a code behaviour. It was recognised that dignity, consideration and respect often meant different things to different people, depending on their day-to-day role and working environment.

As the new policy was developed the APF agreed that ongoing effort by the Tayside Dignity at Work group was needed to help promote activity and keep the topic at the forefront of staff members’ minds.

Previously, the Dignity at Work group had used a theatre company to help raise awareness of the impact of bad behaviour on others. This sparked the development of posters outlining ‘the rules’ to be followed during meetings. However, it was felt that poster campaigns have become so commonplace within the NHS that producing information of such importance in this form would not generate sufficient impact. From this conclusion, the new concept of meeting room mats was born.

Launched in tandem with the updated Dignity at Work policy, the mats ask those present at meetings – from Board members to frontline staff – to consider how their behaviour matches up to the following 7 principles:

1. Listen to each other and do not interrupt
2. Treat others with respect
3. Value each person’s contribution
4. Use appropriate language
5. Encourage open discussion
6. Respect confidentiality
7. Be polite and courteous

This has been extremely effective as staff refer to the mats during meetings as a light-hearted way of reminding others of the standards of behaviour without seeming to be overbearing. They also fuel conversation around the topic, helping to achieve the initial awareness-raising goal of the APF.

A survey is currently being undertaken to ensure that Managers have discussed the policy with their teams and that they understand what is expected of them. The survey will also help to identify those who may need additional support to achieve their goals, and will additionally be used as an end-of-year report back to the APF.

The ultimate aim is to build the principles into all training and development rather than being applied as an add-on, as staff are known to quickly tire of ‘yet another initiative’.

The Dignity at Work Group hopes that one of the main successes of the new policy will be that staff groups feel a higher degree of ownership over their situations which, in turn, will help to boost morale. It is envisaged that this will have a positive influence on team effectiveness, helping them achieve higher standards of patient care. It is recognised that it is not just staff, but patients who are affected by the atmosphere in the workplace – a bad working environment has a knock-on effect on patient care.

The Dignity at Work Group believes that the on-going promotion of this work will assist staff in becoming more aware that inappropriate behaviour, even when unintentional, can have a negative impact on others. It is recognised that NHS staff often work in a highly stressful, high-pressure environment where individuals can easily become frustrated and snap at colleagues. It is important to try to keep focus on the overall team performance and patient experience.