Hostile Work Environment Video and Exercises

This video was commissioned by Quakers and Business as part of its Making Values Visible video seminars. It is designed to be watched by a group of people exploring ethical challenges in the modern work place including bullying, toxic relationships and power structures. 

Free to use

The the material is offered freely for use by educators and consultants providing training in human resources, management and organisational development. We advise the film is accompanied by structured exercises, but can it can also be used as a stimulus for personal responses in a facilitated setting. 

General Themes

 Suggested discussion points 

• If you were Chris, what would you have done?
• What might the intentions and motivations behind each of the individuals’ behaviour be?
• What are the characteristics of a remote workplace that may cause young workers to feel alienated ? 
• What can or should we do about this?
• Hierarchy - does it have a place? Should Chris respect the authority of his boss? 
• Do non-hierarchical working structures actually work better? What does experience tell us? 

Exercises before watching  

• Identify problems which can arise from remote meetings 
• Share personal experiences of a good remote meeting versus a poor one

Exercise after watching

Freeform experimental in break out rooms in groups of three/four:  allocate the roles of Chris, Bill and Clark + observer (optional)  Enact what you think Chris would say next and how would Clark and Bill react? Observer report back to the group. 

Quaker-related themes 

Aims: 
1. Exploring the application of Quaker business principles as a tool for a more productive and ethical workplace.

2. Introducing the benefits of cooperative and egalitarian practices in accordance with Quaker Business Principles and the Quaker Business Method for making decisions. 

Suggested discussion points 

• Which Quaker business principles were violated by which characters and what was the outcome of this? 
• Does the Quaker Business Method have something to teach us when it comes to remote working?  
• How could the principles of QBM support more effective remote and hybrid meetings?     

Potential exercises before watching  

•  Study and review the principles of the Quaker Business Method (QBM)
•  Which principles of QBM could be universally adopted in a remote working business setting?  
• Does a business need to be 'Quaker' to adopt QBM? 

Exercises after watching

a) Guided: Think about the first scene - how could this meeting have been conducted using QBM? Discuss whether or how the outcome would have been more positive for all participants.

b) In pairs: think about the scene between Chris and Clark. How would Clark have behaved if this were a workplace that follows Quaker Business Principles? Rewrite this scene (refer to script) as if the same meeting had happened under these conditions.    

Feedback

We value your feedback on this resource. Positive and negative. Have you used it to explore ethical challenges? What was the result? Have you created your own exercises as a result? Let us know if you can pose any further questions. Contact us.  

How we made the film