Why Traditional Respect@Work Training Falls Short of Real Respect

Most organisations in Australia understand that Respect@Work isn't optional. The legislation is clear: employers must proactively manage workplace behaviour, psychological hazards, and cultural risk.

But too often, the response is reduced to an annual LMS module “tick-the-box” compliance task, quickly forgotten once the final “Submit” button is clicked.

Respect@Work isn't just about policies and procedures. It's about embedding respect, safety, and inclusion into everyday moments.

Transcript

Host 1: Welcome to the cast of good vibes. We're exploring how visual communication and snackable learning are really changing things for organizations connected with all sorts of teams, dispersed, hybrid frontline. This is part two of our series looking into respect at work. You know, when you think about building a respectful workplace, often the first thing that jumps out for businesses is, well, compliance absolutely a non negotiable legal thing, right? Super important. But what seems to happen quite a bit is that it gets boiled down to just ticking a box, like that annual LMS module everyone has to do, oh yeah, people click through it, finish it, and then, honestly, it's often forgotten pretty quickly, until the next year. Anyway, it sort of shifts from being about building a culture to just being a chore. 

Host 2: That's a really common pattern, isn't it? And look that traditional way. It does serve a purpose. It gives you that documented proof that paper trail you need if, God forbid, something goes wrong. It's kind of like the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, but where it consistently misses the mark, and this is critical, is that it hardly ever leads to real, lasting changes in behavior or in shaping the actual workplace culture. You can show the training happened, sure, but proving it made a difference day to day, that's much harder.

Host 1: So it's like you can say, yep, we covered our bases, legally, did the training, but it doesn't necessarily stop incidents from happening to begin with. It was quite reactive, not preventative,

Host 2: precisely, and that leads straight into something we often call a dangerous visibility gap. Think about how workplaces operate now you've got crucial messages right about respect acceptable conduct, where to get support and where do they end up, sometimes buried on an intranet nobody visits, or lost in a sea of emails or maybe a quick message in a chat that just scrolls away. Yeah, Gone in Seconds. And for your frontline teams, the ones maybe without constant computer access, or hybrid teams juggling different environments, if they don't see the message, it's like it never happened. It essentially doesn't exist for the very people who need it. Wow. That creates this massive blind spot, and it really undermines any genuine attempt to build a truly respectful, psychologically safe place to work. 

Host 1: It really makes you think how much vital stuff is just out there, unseen. Okay, so it sounds like we agree the traditional LMS approach, while necessary for compliance, isn't the whole picture for building that culture of respect. So if the LMS is, let's say, the foundation, what's the muscle? What actually makes the difference culturally? 

Host 2: Well, what's key here, and maybe a bit misunderstood sometimes, is that it's not an either situation. You absolutely need both a solid learning management system and what we're calling snackable learning. They're essential partners. They play different, complementary roles and a proper respect at work strategy. You need them working together.

Host 1: That makes a lot of sense. The LMS, like we said, is crucial for that baseline compliance safety net. It gives you the records, the proof of training you absolutely need if an incident does occur, it's your legal protection, making sure you've met those basic duties

Host 2: exactly right. The LMS covers your back, gives you that receipt that training occurred, but, and this is the important part, to actually prevent things like sexual harassment, bullying, discrimination, victimization or a hostile environment from taking root. To stop them before they start, organizations have to complement that compliance bit with snackable learning. That's the proactive culture shaping element. That's how you embed respectful behavior, so it becomes continuous, a living part of how things are done. 

Host 1: So it's moving from just ticking the box to actively creating a safer environment. Okay, so if the LMS handles the foundational legal requirement, this is where something like vibe steps in to be that active cultural force. I know Vaughan Reed, the founder of vibe FYI, his vision was really about making respect an everyday thing, not just a policy document somewhere. How does vibe actually use this idea of snackable learning to shape culture so effectively?

Host 2: Vibe basically puts the principles of nudge learning into action. This idea comes from behavioral science. It's about using small, timely, relevant prompts, nudges, to gently guide people towards better choices, and importantly, without making it feel like mandatory training or disrupting their workflow, 

Host 1: so, less like a formal lesson, more like a helpful reminder. 

Host 2: Exactly, think of it like instead of a compulsory nutrition seminar, you just put the fruit bowl at eye level in the canteen. It's a subtle shift. These nudges blend into the workday. They're noticed, but not as training. Their power comes from consistency and accumulation.

Host 1: And vibe takes that nudge learning idea and really builds on it, which I think is quite clever. It uses visual messaging, makes it quick and easy to grasp, delivered passively and frequently. But the key, I think, for making behavior stick long term, is how it uses space repetition intelligently. It's not about just blasting the same message over and over until people tune it out or it just becomes background noise. Vibes, desktop channels, for instance, they're designed to gently drip feed these messages right into the Word. Space. Yeah, the drip feed concept is vital, right? It keeps the information feeling fresh, relevant, always sort of there, but without being annoying or repetitive.

Host 2: It uses that cognitive science trick, re showing information at Smart intervals to strengthen memory, but without overload. 

Host 1: So how does that work? In practice? Where do people see these messages? 

Host 2: Well, that's the beauty of the drip feed. It leverages the digital channels people already interact with naturally. Think about digital screens in break rooms, maybe smoko areas for outdoor crews or muster points, places people gather for office or hybrid teams. It's the screen savers, the lock screens, the desktop wallpapers on their computers, things they see dozens of times a day, even screens in reception areas or meeting rooms become part of this ambient communication network, ambient. I like that word for it, yeah, because the messages are absorbed passively while you're waiting for the kettle to boil, walking to a meeting, glancing at your screen critically, it doesn't pull people away from their jobs. They don't have to log in or complete anything. It's fundamentally different from formal training in that way.

Host 1: That really is a stark contrast. When you put it next to the traditional LMS model. Isn't it huge difference? LMS is usually that big, structured, often text heavy module vibe is giving you these bite sized, visual, relevant snippets that are easy to digest, right? 

Host 2: And it's not a once a year event like the LMS Training often is vibe provides that continuous exposure, that space repetition we talked about, which is so critical for actually remembering and changing behavior. The LMS needs you to actively participate, right? Set aside time. Log On focus, click through. Vibes. Messages are just there, delivered, passively woven into the workday environment. 

Host 1: Exactly, so if the LMS is excellent for providing the proof for compliance, showing who did what, training, when vibes real power is its kind of laser focus on driving that sistine behavior change and getting everyone aligned culturally,

Host 2:  it perfectly complements the LMS essential compliance role. It takes it from just meeting a legal need to actually living the values. 

Host 1: It makes sense. It's not just what you communicate for respect at work. 

Host 2: No, not at all. It's fundamentally about how you communicate it and where absolutely critical. If the message isn't seen, if it isn't reinforced consistently, where people actually work and look, it just doesn't land. It won't change anything. That's the visibility problem vibe is designed to solve. It's about making the message pervasive, unavoidable in a good way. 

Host 1: So let's talk tangible impact. How does vibes approach actually bridge that gap between, say, reading a policy and actually acting respectfully day in, day out? 

Host 2: Well, by embedding these micro messages right into the daily workflow. Vibe creates this constant reinforcement loop. It turns abstract policies into visible everyday reminders. It's not just about sending out info. It's about systematically building visibility, ensuring that reinforcement keeps happening, and ultimately building that crucial sense of psychological safety across the whole organization. Psychological safety that feels key it is when messages about respect, about support, channels about what's expected when they're constantly visible on screens, wallpapers, digital signs. It normalizes the conversation. It sends a clear, visual, repeated signal to every employee, your safety and dignity matter. Here. It's not just a paragraph in a handbook, right? It's lived, and that constant visibility, slowly but surely helps build an environment where people feel safer, safer to ask questions, safer to raise concerns, safer to speak up if something's not right because they see the organization as actively, visibly committed.

Host 1: That makes total sense. It moves beyond just rules to fostering a feeling of security, and you can see the practical wins for organizations using this. Can't you like keeping reporting pathways really visible and top of mind so people actually know where to go if they need help or need to report something crucial, and constantly showing what respectful behavior looks like in practice, not just definitions, but real world examples? 

Host 2: Yeah, making it concrete, it helps build that shared understanding, doesn't it? Of rights, responsibilities, standards, everyone gets on the same page, absolutely creates a common language, which then encourages proactive communication, maybe dealing with things earlier, and leads to real cultural alignment. Definitely, and importantly, it empowers those frontline or deskless teams, the ones who sometimes feel a bit disconnected from head office comps. It makes them feel supported, informed continuously, not just trained once and then left alone, so they might feel more confident speaking up too.

That empowerment piece is huge, especially for dispersed teams. Really, what it all boils down to is this, when you combine a solid LMS for that compliance foundation with dynamic, ongoing, snackable, learning respect at work changes. It stops being just a bureaucratic task or check box exercise. It becomes a visible, living commitment to the safety, the well being and the dignity of every single employee. It shifts from. Something you have to do to part of who you are as an organization.

Host 1: That's a really powerful way to frame it a fundamental shift, because you're right. Respect isn't something you just train once and take off. It really is something your people ought to see and feel and actually live every single day. 

Host 2: We really hope this chat has sparked some practical ideas for you, maybe ways to make your own respect at Work Program, something that people genuinely connect with and live out daily. 

Host 1: The cast of good vibes is brought to you by Vibe FYI. They help organizations transform everyday screens into really effective communication channels, reaching employees right where they naturally spend their time. 

For more insights into the workplace, you can visit vibe FYI and just remember that final thought. Prospect isn't just a policy document. Policy document, it's something your people should truly see, feel and live every single day.