Positive Workplace Culture and Respectful Behaviour Training Course

Programme Summary

Positive workplace culture and respectful behaviour is a one-week training course for HR directors, chief people officers and senior executives at advanced level, culminating in a culture shift plan for their organisation. Values statements rarely change how people treat each other; incivility, fear and quiet withdrawal persist because the systems and leadership signals that sustain them remain untouched. The approach diagnoses the current culture, translates values into observable behaviours and redesigns the routines that reinforce them. Mars Training Centre UK delivers this programme in positive workplace culture and respectful behaviour.

The Business Case

Culture shows up in everyday conduct: how meetings run, how mistakes are handled, how disagreement is voiced. Where disrespect is tolerated, capable people leave, psychosocial risks rise and reputational exposure grows. Leaders who treat culture as something they can measure and manage, rather than a slogan, protect performance and wellbeing together.

• Voluntary Turnover: Falls as respectful conduct and recognition become routine expectations.
• Psychosocial Risk Exposure: Reduces as stressors such as incivility and unclear roles are identified and controlled.
• Grievance and Conduct Cases: Decline as standards of behaviour are explicit and consistently addressed.

Principles and Evidence Base

• Competing Values Framework and OCAI: The four culture types of clan, adhocracy, market and hierarchy structure the culture diagnosis in Session 1.
• Schein's Levels of Culture: Artefacts, espoused values and basic assumptions guide the analysis of what drives behaviour in Session 2.
• ISO 45003: Its guidance on managing psychosocial risks at work frames the wellbeing and respect controls in Session 3.
• Positive Organisational Scholarship: Its findings on trust, recognition and high-quality connections inform the reinforcement design in Session 4.

Intended Participants

• Executives who set the tone for how people are treated across the organisation.
• HR leaders accountable for culture, conduct standards and employee wellbeing.
• Senior managers leading teams through mergers, restructures or rapid growth.
• Heads of function asked to address toxic behaviour or low trust in their areas.

The programme serves government bodies, financial services, healthcare and energy organisations.

Learning Outcomes

1. Participants will be able to diagnose current and preferred culture using the Competing Values Framework.
2. Participants will be able to analyse the underlying assumptions that sustain unhelpful behaviours.
3. Participants will be able to construct a behavioural charter that turns stated values into observable conduct.
4. Participants will be able to prioritise psychosocial risks and design proportionate controls.
5. Participants will be able to design recognition, role-modelling and accountability routines that reinforce respect.
6. Participants will be able to evaluate culture change with a balanced set of measures.

Programme Structure

Day 1: Positive Workplace Culture and Its Diagnosis

What culture does the organisation have today, and what does it need?

• Positive Organisational Scholarship and the Case for Culture
• Competing Values Framework Culture Types
• OCAI Current and Preferred Culture Profiles
• Culture Signals in Meetings, Decisions and Symbols
• Gap Analysis Between Stated and Lived Values

Day 2: From Values to Respectful Behaviour

Which assumptions drive conduct, and how are values made observable?

• Schein's Artefacts, Espoused Values and Basic Assumptions
• Behavioural Charter Design With Do and Do Not Examples
• Civility, Incivility and the Escalation of Disrespect
• Speaking Up, Voice and Psychological Safety
• Handling Conduct Breaches Fairly and Consistently

Day 3: Wellbeing and Psychosocial Risk

Which workplace stressors damage culture, and how are they controlled?

• ISO 45003 Psychosocial Hazard Categories
• Workload, Role Clarity and Job Control as Risk Factors
• Bullying and Harassment Prevention Systems
• Psychosocial Risk Assessment and Control Hierarchy
• Wellbeing Support and Return-to-Work Practices

Day 4: Reinforcing Culture Through Leadership and Systems

What keeps positive behaviour going after the launch?

• Leadership Role-Modelling and Shadow of the Leader
• Recognition Practices and Appreciation Routines
• Aligning Hiring, Promotion and Performance With Desired Behaviours
• Culture Measurement: Pulse Surveys, Exit Data and Conduct Metrics
• Culture Champions and Peer Networks

Day 5: Applying Positive Workplace Culture to the Organisation

Is the culture shift plan credible, measurable and ready for sponsorship?

• Day 1 Culture Profile Turned Into Shift Priorities
• Day 2 Behavioural Charter Tested With Real Scenarios
• Day 3 Risk Controls Embedded in Management Routines
• Executive Sponsorship and Communication Sequence
• Culture Shift Plan Completion

Methodology

The programme is built around case analysis and structured exercises. Participants profile their own organisations using culture assessment tools, compare results in peer groups and work through scenarios drawn from hospitals, banks and public agencies. Each session moves from a short evidence briefing to applied design, adding one component to the capstone.

• Suggested activity: Profiling a ministry department with the Competing Values Framework and debating the preferred culture.
• Suggested activity: Drafting a behavioural charter for a hospital emergency department.
• Suggested activity: Running a psychosocial risk assessment for a high-pressure trading floor.

Capstone Output

Each participant completes a culture shift plan for their organisation or a business unit. It contains the culture profile, the behavioural charter, prioritised psychosocial risk controls, reinforcement routines, measures and a sponsorship sequence for the executive team.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is positive workplace culture training suitable for executives outside HR?

Yes. It is set at advanced level for executives and HR leaders who shape how people are treated, and assumes experience of leading managers rather than specialist HR knowledge.

Which models does positive workplace culture and respectful behaviour training rest on?

It rests on the Competing Values Framework and OCAI, Schein's levels of culture, ISO 45003 guidance on psychosocial risk and positive organisational scholarship.

How is the positive workplace culture shift plan used at work?

You can use it to brief your executive team, secure sponsorship and track culture change through agreed measures over the following year.

How does positive workplace culture differ from employee engagement courses?

It works on the assumptions, behaviours and systems that form culture, rather than on engagement survey scores and retention initiatives alone.