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Workplace Restoration Workshop
Have you experienced complex disruptions in your workplace that have affected productivity, staff morale, and the overall feeling of safety in your workplace? In such situations, would you know how to restore your workplace, or where to start? This course is designed to teach an approach to restoration that is non-adversarial and focuses on rebuilding by considering the interests of employees and creating an environment that promotes safety and productivity.
While we are probably best known for conducting and supporting investigations and providing investigation training, our firm’s passion is elevating workplace culture overall. One of the ways we do that is by facilitating Respectful Workplace Training (RWT) – while often narrowly viewed as harassment and discrimination training, RWT more broadly refers to any “training that will provide [workers] with information intended to help foster a respectful workplace.”1
When people approach us for RWT, we clarify that we are not Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) trainers as we are not experts in that area, and our training does not seek to focus on actionable, measurable ways to increase diversity in the workplace. However, while the two are clearly different, there is definite overlap. For example, both seek to inform and influence how employees engage in the workplace.
So, I have been watching with some concern, the rise of the backlash against DEI programmes. Anti-‘woke’/anti-DEI proponents view the effort to level the playing field as unnecessary or even discriminatory in and of itself, but seem to forget or ignore the many years of blatant inequality that these programmes were implemented to combat. Many global organizations are shifting with the political winds,2 and even though the loudest naysayers are to the south of us, it would be a mistake to think that Canada is unaffected.3 Some organizations indicate that they still think the concepts are good but wish to change the terminology and the language around it as they believe “DEI” has become polarized.4 (A rose by any other name? Maybe.) This leads me to wonder: Will the pullback of such programmes result in organizations de-prioritizing a respectful workplace?
The truth is that a lot of corporate DEI initiatives merely pay lip-service to the principles they espouse. They focus on tokenistic efforts to give the appearance of diversity, rather than making fundamental changes to the systems, policies, and processes in place that support inequity. I am not surprised that many companies are rolling back the commitments made in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd in 2020. If a strong foundation did not exist before, then decisions made in such heightened emotional contexts do not always stand the test of time. And while I dislike a lot of the rhetoric that is on the rise with the DEI backlash, I am not opposed to the idea that changes need to be made — not just to the language, but to the approach overall. The shortcomings of the practices need to be addressed. Those changes should involve reassessing training needs as part of the whole, but hopefully continuing to recognize the value of this type of training.
Consequently, here are four reasons why Respectful Workplace Training should be a key priority for all organizations, regardless of their thoughts and feelings about DEI. The caveat, however, is that this must be effective RWT, as one of our co-founding partners, Christine Thomlinson, mentioned in a previous blog post.5
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- “Respect” is a universal concept. If anyone is concerned that this type of training excludes some while focusing on others, let me assure you that respect in the workplace is “inclusive” in the truest and broadest sense. While it encompasses concepts such as discrimination and harassment, a truly respectful workplace, and thus, effective RWT, seeks to ensure that every individual in the workplace feels valued, supported, and acknowledged. This therefore goes beyond simply learning the definitions of harassment and discrimination. The idea of “respect” is a baseline that most people understand and support.
- Respect is good for business. Respect at work is about far more than just being nice to others. When people feel respected and feel like they belong, when they know that their contributions are recognized and appreciated, they can bring their best, most productive professional selves to work. When that is achieved, organizations will realize that a lot of other benefits fall into place (e.g., increased productivity, better business relationships, lower turnover, etc.).
- RWT is a tool. Tools are neutral. As with any tool, it is how it is used that matters. On its own and when done correctly, RWT is a non-partisan instrument to promote the engagement and empowerment of individuals in the workplace. The true goal of RWT does not involve quotas nor is it intended to be used to shame and/or discipline anyone. RWT is aimed at creating and maintaining a positive workplace culture for everyone.
- RWT promotes empathy. One of the complaints I sometimes hear in my training sessions is, “You can’t say anything anymore!” I admit that I used to be dismissive of the sentiment because I just thought people wanted to be able to use slurs in the workplace with no consequences. However, on further reflection, I realized that what most people mean when they say this is: “I’m concerned that I won’t be heard and that my intentions won’t be considered.” And isn’t that what we all want — to be heard, understood, and to be given the benefit of the doubt? Too often, training at work focuses on “don’t say this” or “don’t do that,” with either the express or implied intention being to avoid liability for employers. This leads to employees feeling muzzled and resentful. Effective RWT encourages employees not to focus on their differences, or on what they should or should not say or do, but rather to strive to gain an understanding of others and to be considerate of how they might feel and then let that influence their interactions with colleagues.
There is a lot going on in the world (to say the least) and I do not know what the future of DEI looks like. What I am confident of, however, is that organizations which continue to make a respectful workplace their priority will certainly have the upper hand in attracting and retaining the best of the depth and breadth of talent and voices in the workforce. That means that they will be ready and able to adapt in this ever-changing world.
1 Government of Canada, “Respectful Workplace Policy—Office of the Prime Minister and Ministers’ Offices” (November 17, 2020), online: https://www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-secretariat/services/respectful-workplace-policy-office-prime-minister-ministers-offices.html.
2 K. Gibson & E. Lyons, “Meta ends diversity programs, joining McDonald’s, Walmart and other major companies to back off DEI” (January 16, 2025), online (CBS News article): https://www.cbsnews.com/news/meta-dei-programs-mcdonalds-walmart-ford-diversity/.
3 D. Milstead & J. Jones, “The growing backlash to DEI and ESG in the U.S. is affecting Canadian companies as well” (December 10, 2024), online (The Globe and Mail article): https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-dei-esg-backlash-canadian-companies/.
4 F. Baig, “University of Alberta rebrands DEI policy to ACB: ‘Time for a refresh’” (January 8, 2025), online (Global News article): https://globalnews.ca/news/10948859/university-of-alberta-dei-acb-diversity/.
5 Christine Thomlinson, “5 Simple ways to help elevate workplace culture” (February 29, 2024), online (Rubin Thomlinson’s Insights): https://rubinthomlinson.com/5-simple-ways-to-help-elevate-workplace-culture/.
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