Page 40 - Learner Guide - BSBCMM201 - Communicate in the workplace.doc

Communicate in the workplace

Social protocols

Social protocols are the rules of correct and appropriate behaviour. These are the
reasonable considerations and ethics of the society in set situations. Each business
has its specific social protocols which promote human values such as fairness, trust,
honesty, kindness, positive behaviour etc.

5.6 Harassment and bullying

Under federal and state legislation, unlawful harassment is that which occurs when
someone is intimidated, insulted or humiliated due to their ethnic origin (race, colour,
national etc.), sex, disability, sexual preference or some other characteristic
specified under anti-discrimination or human rights legislation. Examples of
harassment and bullying behaviour include:

• cracking insulting jokes or making comments about particular groups
• sending sexually suggestive emails
• displaying offensive or pornographic posters on screens
• asking disturbing questions about someone’s personal life
• repeated criticism or false allegations about poor work
• frequent jokes or pranks which upset or injure

Repeated harassing behaviour will result in deviating the standard of conduct within
a work area and so the individual or group will be penalized.

Absence of complaints is not essentially an indication that there is harassment or
discrimination at the workplace. The person subjected to harassment or
discrimination may not always complain. This might be because of lack of
confidence of the person to speak out on their behalf or sometimes may be due to
lack of action at the workplace.

5.7 Interpersonal communication

Interpersonal communication also referred as people skills or social skills is a soft skill
that includes how well an individual communicates with others. This skill is most
important for success at the workplace. The six key component of interpersonal
communication are:

• The communicators: This refers to both the sender and the receiver.
• The message: Message is one of the most important parts of the interpersonal
communication. Message can be conveyed in many ways such as speech,
body language, tone of voice, gestures etc. Non-verbal messages provide extra
information that may not be conveyed through words.

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