Appropriate Behavior
at Work
Presented by
WilliamsTown Communications
Courtney Cantwell, Instructional Design Manager
#FC154
Introduction
Welcome to Appropriate Behavior at Work. In this
Training on Demand course, you’ll explore some
reasons why proper workplace conduct is critical to
your success and the success of your credit union.
You’ll also learn what sorts of activities are and are not
appropriate in the work environment, as well as simple
steps you can take to ensure your own actions reflect
good professional and personal judgment in nearly any
workplace situation.
Proper workplace behavior is a basic expectation for
all employees everywhere. However, for credit union
staffers, the need to act appropriately is especially
important. That’s because credit unions live by the
philosophy of “people helping people.” One way to put
this philosophy into practice is by always behaving in a
way that demonstrates positive regard toward yourself,
your coworkers, your employer, and your credit union’s
member-owners. Failure to do so can damage not only
your own career prospects, but your credit union’s
reputation and its members’ bottom line.
Unfortunately, determining what counts as
appropriate workplace conduct is not always easy.
For one, society’s standards for at-work behavior
have changed over time and will no doubt continue
to change in the future. Also, no matter what society
says, there will always be instances when one person
is offended by behavior that another person finds
completely acceptable.
So what can you do to minimize your likelihood of
engaging in inappropriate or potentially offensive
behavior? By the end of this course, you’ll know the
answer—and much more.
Objectives
Upon completion of this course, you should be able
to:
• R
ecall ways in which your workplace conduct
affects you, your credit union, and the credit
union’s members;
• E xplore four types of work behavior that reflect a
positive attitude toward other people;
• R
ecognize workplace conduct that reflects an
appropriate attitude toward oneself;
• I dentify employee behaviors that embody a
positive attitude toward work resources, including
equipment, materials, and time; and
• O
utline three types of workplace behavior that
reflect a positive attitude toward one’s job.
Defining “Appropriate
Workplace Behavior”
The first step to appropriate workplace conduct is
understanding what this behavior entails. As previously
mentioned, making the distinction between acceptable
and unacceptable behavior is sometimes harder than
you think. Some conduct is obviously inappropriate
because it is prohibited by law or credit union policy.
Other behavior falls in a gray area. Consider the
following examples:
• J on, a member service representative in his midtwenties, notices his sixty-year-old coworker Gary
struggling to carry a box full of files. Jon quickly
offers to help, saying, “Here, let me get that box
for you. I don’t want you to fall and break a hip,
old man.”
• J enny sits in the cubicle next to the printer shared
by all members of her department. Every time Kate
2
prints something, she steps into Jenny’s cubicle
and strikes up a conversation—even if Jenny is
obviously busy doing something else and not in
the mood to chat.
• D
uring lunch in the break room, Andrew starts
ranting about recent changes in the local
government. He tells his coworkers, “As far as I’m
concerned, the mayor and everyone who voted for
him are morons.”
• S upports the mission and values of the
credit union; and
• B
uilds positive relationships with others by
treating them in a respectful, professional,
fair, and polite manner.
In contrast, inappropriate workplace behavior can
be broadly defined as unwelcome or unwanted conduct
that:
• O
bjectively causes a negative impact or
disruption to the workplace; and
• Damages employee morale.
With these definitions in mind, let’s revisit our three
scenarios to see exactly why they involve inappropriate
workplace behavior:
• I n the first scenario, Jon’s behavior—although
well-intentioned—is ultimately inappropriate.
When he makes fun of Gary’s age, Jon is not
treating Gary in a respectful manner. This, in
turn, could have a negative effect on Gary and
damage his morale.
• I n the second scenario, Kate’s behavior is
inappropriate because she is acting rudely and
unprofessionally every time she interrupts
Jenny’s work. Kate is also creating a disruption
and wasting time that could be spent in support
of the credit union’s mission.
While these scenarios may seem harmless, each
actually illustrates a different type of inappropriate
work conduct. To understand why, let’s take a closer
look at the definition of “appropriate workplace
behavior.”
Although exact definitions vary, appropriate
workplace behavior can be generally described as
conduct that both:
• I n the third scenario, Andrew is acting
inappropriately by bringing up a controversial
political topic, then insulting everyone who
disagrees with him on that topic. This behavior
shows disrespect toward others, works against
the creation of positive relationships, and could
be damaging to morale.
3