Respectful Workplace Toolkit
A respectful workplace is a welcoming, safe, inclusive work environment where individuals show care and consideration for others, a place where diversity is acknowledged and celebrated, individuals are treated fairly and with dignity, communication is open, and conflict is addressed in a timely and constructive manner.
Building and maintaining a respectful workplace culture is a shared responsibility of every member of the University community, regardless of role.
Establishing and maintaining collegial relationships at work is not always easy, and workplace conflicts cannot always be avoided. This toolkit highlights how to respectfully navigate conflicts and engage in difficult conversations.
A respectful workplace is a place where:
- Individuals feel valued, rewarded, and treated fairly and with dignity.
- Diversity is welcomed, acknowledged, and celebrated.
- Individuals show care and consideration for others.
- Communication is open and civil.
- Academic freedom, inquiry, and debate take place in a collegial manner.
- Creativity and innovative ideas are openly invited.
- People are approachable, and positive attitudes are commonplace.
- It is safe to be vulnerable (including admitting mistakes and sharing both strengths and weaknesses)
- Gossiping, backstabbing, or badmouthing colleagues are not acceptable.
- Workplace conflict is addressed in a timely and constructive manner.
- Individuals can thrive in authentic ways.
A respectful workplace culture:
- Supports mental health and psychological safety.
- Improves working relationships.
- Improves problem-solving and conflict resolution.
- Increases engagement.
- Reduces workplace stress.
- Supports an inclusive, safe, and welcoming workplace culture.
- Supports a sense of belonging.
In an organizational context, the wide range of behaviours that employees may exhibit exist along a continuum. One end of the continuum includes those behaviours that foster and maintain a respectful workplace culture while the other end of the continuum includes uncivil and disrespectful behaviours.
Learn more about the workplace behaviour continuum.
Being respectful is about:
- Self-awareness and self-regulation.
- Understanding how our words and actions may affect those around us.
- Listening and seeking common ground when differences occur
- Recognizing that differences enrich our workplace.
Our words and actions (unintended or deliberate, subtle, or overt) signal to others the level of respect we have for them.
Take a minute to complete the Respectful Behaviour Checklist.
Use the buttons below to navigate the various sections of this toolkit (you can also access these links using the left navigation menu):