Seeking civility in an incivil world
Amanda Jones of SI Civil provides a place for employees to feel respected and heard.
When a co-worker at her former agency tipped off Amanda C. Jones to a job announcement in the Smithsonian’s Office of Human Resources, she was intrigued.
“I had been casually looking [at other employment possibilities] for a year or two,” recalls Jones, now coordinator of SI Civil. She knew it would take a pretty special opportunity in order for her to throw her hat into the ring.
Leading SI Civil met that high bar.
Jones applied for the job and was hired in February 2020, in the last days before the COVID-19 pandemic threw the world into fear, grief and disarray. Jones’ own world was upended: after accepting the job, she also gave birth to a baby, took maternity leave and moved – twice
Officially launched in January 2021, SI Civil was created as a resource Smithsonian employees can tap into report on-the-job harassment, threats, bullying and intimidation by co-workers. Its stated goal: “to empower employees and affiliated persons to communicate workplace concerns and facilitate the resolutions of those concerns as quickly as possible.”
Longtime Torch contributor Amy Rogers Nazarov talked with Jones as she prepared for an all-staff meeting with Under Secretary for Administration Ron Cortez to address workplace harassment and the Smithsonian’s resources to combat it.
So, your colleague told you about the job opening…
Yes, and then I got an interview. I was 99 percent sure I would not take it if I was offered it for various reasons, but when I went to the interview and heard Susan’s [Reider, Labor and Employee Relations Manager], vision for SI Civil, I was blown away by how passionate she was. In my former government-wide policy job, you didn’t always see the tangible changes in front of your eyes. Here it felt like we could bring about more immediate changes.
Were you aware of the increased visibility on this issue when you came on board?
I was not. But Susan knew something like SI Civil was needed [to address harassment and workplace violence issues]. She knew how vital this kind of resource is for any organization to have.
On-the-job harassment is not unique to any particular industry or demographic. Just as when we talk about domestic violence, it’s not something that happens to one particular demographic. We know that this doesn’t just affect scientists and actresses (in an allusion to movie producer Harvey Weinstein, now imprisoned after being convicted of sexual abuse and assault). And we probably can never know the extent of this type of abuse.
How does SI Civil help?
By spreading awareness that help is out there, and by building trust, and by making people aware that they have this resource. We also want to help staff learn how to be a good bystander, how to be a good colleague and ally if someone appears to be struggling.
When someone comes to talk to me, I try to give them general information about what this program is and what it is not. I’m not a counselor; I’m not a completely confidential resource. However, what SI Civil offers is an internal Smithsonian process that is quicker and more informal than filing an EEO complaint or a lawsuit. I try to make people aware of the steps in the reporting process, to make them aware of what SI Civil can do for them.
How do you make people comfortable about coming to you?
I want it to be a conversation and not a formal investigatory interview. I start with neutral questions about their job before we move into the actual issue.
We’ve been telling [people who want to report a problem] to call me directly, to preserve that human touch. People are also able to report anonymously. We will be implementing a hotline where operators would answer every call, a better Web intake form, and the ability to report in multiple languages. However, that human factor will always be there.
Are you getting many reports?
We are, but that’s not surprising. I don’t think it’s necessarily because the number of incidents is rising, but more because awareness has been building [about the role of SI Civil]. We’ve been telling leadership and the Board of Regents that we fully expect the numbers to go up. It means that people are trusting the process and that they are coming forward.
What have you learned over the course of your interviews with those who are reporting?
It is almost always the case that someone coming forward has real fears about retaliatory action and retribution. And in some cases, they have been enduring inappropriate behavior for months or years.
They are fearful of coming forward for different reasons: sometimes they don’t want to ruin someone else’s career. Sometimes it’s that they don’t want their own career to be derailed. Sometimes, both are real concerns.
I think we can do better in talking about accountability, and alleviating fear, and what it means to come forward, and that retaliation will never be condoned. We can never totally eliminate [the fear of reporting], but we can explain the process and provide information about what they can do next. They need to have all the information on the process before making the decision to come forward.
What do you hope will be accomplished at today’s meeting with Under Secretary Cortez?
It is really an information session about SI Civil and other support resources we have at Smithsonian. People will have the opportunity to ask questions anonymously and get all the information at once.
We’ll share about how people can talk to the Smithsonian Ombuds, Shadella Davis, talk to a counselor [via the Employee Assistance Program or INOVA Health’s EAP], or talk to me. Some of these resources have been in place a long time, but I don’t think they were utilized as much as they could have been.
Is there a message you hope people will take away after learning about SI Civil?
I think just being able to listen when someone feels hurt or offended or asking yourself, ‘Am I being a good friend or colleague? Am I welcoming people?’ – these things are not valued as much as they should be. These are the kinds of thing you learned in kindergarten, and they still matter.
Focusing on a Harassment-Free Workplace: Support Resources at the Smithsonian
February 16, 2022
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Posted: 17 February 2022
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Categories:
Administrative News , Collaboration , Education, Access & Outreach , Feature Stories
