81. Empowering Your Employees: The Power of Trust and Equity

A recent study of the State Of The American Workplace found only 33% of employees are engaged in their work, while 56% were disengaged, and even worse, 16% actively disengaged with their workplace.  The cause of this disengagement? Toxicity, bullying, and exclusion within the workplace.  Today you’ll get not one, but two eye-opening perspectives on toxicity in the workplace and how you can fix almost any problem in your company by establishing a safe, and trusting environment for your employees.  Leslie has firsthand experience in dealing with toxic workplaces, from getting “voted out” of a family company, to regaining the trust and loyalty of employees who have been hurt. She offers real-life examples and solutions that will help you answer the big questions in your workspace. Kemy has been in the shoes of those dubbed “workspace bully”, and has worked countless hours to re-socialize and become an expert in workplace equity that provides a natural, safe place for companies and their employees to work together. Learn his methods like taking a step back to assess a situation more clearly and how you can provide support and honesty with your employees even through times of crisis.  Whether you work in person or virtually, Leslie and Kemy will give you their top tips on how to create a workspace where employees can be themselves, feel proud of the work they’ve done, and create a thriving community within your company.    Here’s what we cover: How to recognize diversity by exclusion  How Leslie regained trust and loyalty from employees The power of trust from your employees Creating safe spaces in digital companies How to eliminate bullying and discrimination in your events The backlash of backchat How going virtual has brought more opportunity for equity The flipside of virtual: how workplace bullying has increased due to COVID How phone calls can create closer bonds between calls How you can create trust before meeting people Gaining trust and loyalty in times of crisis Real-life stories of trust that is restored  And much more!     LINKS: Book Kemy Joseph or Leslie August to speak at your next event by emailing [email protected]  Connect with Kemy: Website: www.FearsAdvantage.com/Speak Facebook: facebook.com/FEARSAdvantage Twitter: @kemyjoseph Insta: @kemyawesome LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kemy-joseph/ Company Name:  F.E.A.R.S. Advantage™   Connect with Leslie: Website: LeslieAugust.com Facebook: @LLAugust Twitter: @It_Pays_To_Care Insta: @LeslieLevyAugust LinkedIn: Leslie Levy August Connect with Blair: [email protected]  Connect with us: Facebook: ​​www.facebook.com/advanceyourreach Website:​​ advanceyourreach.com Learn More About our Stage Agency:  https://elitespeakersagency.com/ [email protected]   Episode Minute By Minute: 0:34 Welcome Kemy Joseph & Leslie August 2:34 How Leslie helps address toxic work please environments 5:43 How Joseph got started 14:18 Assessing before making a mess 20:30 How to get your employees to have your back 23:15 Being a safe leader in a PC culture 33:01 How the training landscape has changed 34:41 Go into every meeting with intentionality 52:21 Last tips from Kemy and Leslie More About Kemy: Raised in Miami, FL as a first-generation Haitian American, Kemy lived in a single-parent household with nine siblings where poverty, violence, and racial inequity traumatized him at an early age. Growing up, he was socialized as a sexist, racist, homophobe, bigot, bully, and criminal. As an adult he’s made the extraordinary effort to re-socialize himself into a human being — a healthy, educated black man who respects women, Celebrates Diversity, and supports the equal rights of all people. His journey represents the healing that’s possible when we use negative emotions for positive change and learn the skills we need to treat others equitably. Kemy is creating a world where we rise above segregation, hatred, and violence to heal our past traumas and ensure the safety of all human beings. In service to that vision, he works with hundreds of leaders in business and education — in addition to many Nobel Peace PrizeWinners — to inspire global social justice initiatives.   More About Leslie: For 35 years, Leslie August held progressively senior management roles in international insurance agencies. In that time she saw the stark comparison between toxic vs. healthy workplaces and how toxic workplaces resulted in employee disengagement, distraction, illness, and impaired productivity. Ultimately she personally experienced bullying and workplace toxicity and gained a first-hand understanding of the challenges and strategies for dealing with toxic work dynamics and their increased risks.