Safety Culture & Virtue 7: Charity (7 mins)

How can we care for strangers if we do not care for each other? This episode looks at some of the best and worst charitable policies in the workplace and examines how safety culture can be elevated and restored during difficult times.

Key Points:

-Mandatory charity

-Acceptable charity lists

-Service awards and fundraisers

Transcript

How can we care for strangers if we don’t care for each other?

I remember working with a team member who was struggling with a long-term physical illness. Every time he struggled with opening a package or lifting something, the manager would tell him to “eat his Wheaties” because nurses are supposed to be strong. On the other hand, a significant number of people go into the healthcare field because they have either been in the bed or beside it as a family member.

That is why I’ve noticed that workplaces thrive and become more virtuous, more safe, and have better retention when employees donate to staff who are sick, injured, or affected by a disaster. For one thing, valuing team members when they are vulnerable and caring for them when they are not contributing work indicates that they are respected not just for their work, but for their intrinsic value.

So many people feel used or threatened at work, and when your coworkers show up to raise funds for your nephew who is battling cancer, or your coworker’s grandma who lost her house in a fire, a lot of things start to happen: 1) you begin to believe that your coworkers are decent people and that improves transparency and a willingness to speak up about problems, 2) you feel valued and are more likely to trust your coworkers during stressful situations that cannot be managed alone, 3) you feel good because you are helping someone, which is what you all hoped you could do in healthcare in the first place, and 4) you develop a deeper sense of empathy from drawing closer to a painful experience rather than fearing it at a distance.

These are all amazing benefits for a healthcare team. However, I need to be clear that some forms of charity can do serious damage to a team as well. As they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions and top-down mandatory charity can be extremely damaging to team morale. It’s not that corporate efforts to volunteer or donate are inherently bad, but when giving is expected or enforced and no one on the team has any say in the goals of the project, then it becomes an ingenuous practice that can further erode transparency, trust, and honesty.

Let me illustrate with an example. At one time, I had a supervisor that was not well-regarded who had to require staff to attend award parties because no one would come voluntarily. We would arrive at the mandatory party at the boss’s mansion, which displayed conspicuous signs of wealth from top to bottom, and instead of giving a gift to each of us, we were asked to draw from a hat and only a handful received a paltry gift card, while the others walked away empty handed. One day, a member of the team said they would like to get an expensive gift of jewelry for Boss’s Day, and if we all chipped in $40, we could surprise the boss with an extravagant gift. Let’s just say Boss’s Day came and went like every other day; no one person donated for the gift. What a sad state of affairs.

That is roughly the effect of top-down charity efforts. Telling employees that you will think less of them if they don’t give from their wages to your pet project is a rotten thing to do, but supporting a project that employees care about or are connected with personally is a fantastic way to support a virtuous safety culture.

In contrast, I once had the privilege of participating in a very grassroots project for a coworker that we all loved and cherished who was struggling to pay bills after an emergency kept them out of work for several weeks. Everyone was enthusiastic, everyone contributed, and word spread like wildfire while employees pulled connections in the community and reached out to colleagues at second jobs. We raised all the money needed within 10 days, and it was marvelous to see everyone from techs to physicians walk in with handfuls of cash, saying, “Don’t tell anyone it was me, but please put this toward the fundraiser.” We were happy because caring for our coworker made us feel like our team would do the same for us, and we felt like we were a good, virtuous team. Rather than feeling isolated, angry, or demoralized, we felt like we were part of a superhero team, and it felt so good. The people that were part of that charity were loyal to each other through many other struggles, and we never forgot how all of us showed up when we needed to be there.

So ask around, check the break room and cafeteria, and find out if grassroots charitable projects are occurring in your workplace. If the only workplace charitable efforts are created in the boardroom, or there is a corporately-curated list of “acceptable” charities, then no points are given. The solution can be as simple as creating a routine of asking management if any staff members are facing a crisis, and then supporting efforts to help out with PTO donations, allowing posters and promotional materials to go up, and basically not standing in the way of employee efforts. However, some organizations have made this type of charitable work part of their organization’s mission and values by asking for nominations for a service-related award. For example, HCA Healthcare gives the Thomas Frist award based on voluntary nominations of individuals who served as a charitable volunteer in the community. I always loved hearing the stories of the Frist award winners, and I remember feeling like I worked with some really impressive people – people who had good character and not just ambition, and it made me think about what I could do to contribute. This is a great way to honor altruistic service, raise awareness about opportunities in the community, and highlight the values that are most important to your organization. In the words of Thomas Frist, “Bricks and mortar do not make a hospital. People do.” Allowing those same people to select an opportunity for service is a great way to show that you appreciate their character and not just their labor. 

If there are grassroots fundraisers happening in your workplace, or there is an active service award for organic service without strings attached, then give yourself a point. Then take time to appreciate the impact that your organization has had on the community around you and recognize that this trait is a sign of virtuous safety culture. Well done.