The Importance Of Restorative Practices In The Workplace

The environment among staff in corporations can be one of content colleagues who work together to achieve mutual goals or it can be toxic where employees are only serving their own needs. Generally, collaborative environments are rewarded with successful outcomes, long-term and committed employees, and relationships that allow for the giving and receiving of feedback for personal growth. The toxic environments, however, are often highly aggressive with employees who are extremely stressed, lack of forward momentum on projects, and high turnover rates. Restorative practices are a mechanism that will help restore relationships, provide understanding of employees needs and concerns, and encourage collaboration and teamwork. A restorative …show more content…
Engagement may fail due to the competition in the workplace. Employees may compete for promotion or recognition and intentionally avoid engaging in conversations leading to teamwork. Additionally, asking clarifying questions may be avoided to eliminate any concerns of individual capabilities and qualifications. Also, those in authority positions may see theirs as a position of power and ultimate decision making, which results in a one-way flow of communication; from the leader to the employee. Finally, the time required to engage employees and provide explanations can easily cause leaders to omit these …show more content…
Trust, in a corporate environment, is often lacking. In its place is often bougie-bougie, tattling on other employees, backstabbing, all in the name of one employee appearing to be more qualified than the employee who they are talking about. A community void of trust will have high turnover rates, frequent absences, and overall poor employee satisfaction. Hopkins writes, “...people work much better if their emotional needs are being met...things like respect, appreciation, recognition, belonging, understanding…” (Hopkins 2015). An environment with trust and understanding of each other, a community that emphasizes the importance of collaboration, and the understanding that each person is an important part of the success of the organization, will flourish. “When group members trust one other, they are willing to give and accept apologies, undertake the risk of giving and receiving feedback, and admit to any shortcomings. When the advantages of team work are fulfilled among team members and they trust each other, task conflict will not become relationship conflict, which reduces the quality of job performance” (Chun-Chang, et.