Defining and Supporting a Culture of Respect at Western and in Our

Unit

Leaders’ Forum

AGENDA

• Welcome

• Background

• Purpose of Today

• Initial Thoughts

• Some facts on Bullying

• Features of a Respectful Workplace

• The Face of Disrespect

• Next Steps for Us

Leaders’ Forum

Background

Best student experience.

Best employee experience.

Leaders’ Forum

Defining and Supporting a Culture of Respect

We seek to sustain and enhance “a culturefocused on achievement, development, teamwork, and collegial relations: a culture of deep respect that actively values the contribution of all roles, invitesopen inquiry, celebrates diverse talents and backgrounds, and supports develop-ment, recognition, and fulfillment for eachperson.”Engaging the Future, 2006

Leaders’ Forum

Defining and Supporting a Culture of Respect

Leaders’ Forum November 15, 2007

see notes from the Forum at

Leaders’ Forum

Equity& Human Right Services (EHRS) Western Statistics

May 1, 2006 - April 30, 2007

286 Consultations (for guidance on issues such as general harassment, sexual harassment, racial harassment or other areas)

15 New Formal Complaints

Leaders’ Forum

Workplace BullyingThe Workplace Bullying and Trauma Insitute

(Gary Namie)

Bullying should never be brushed off as a personality clash (Namie 2003)

• 3X more prevalent than sexual harassment• targets endure for almost two years before filing a

complaint• only 13% of bullies are punished or terminated• often invisible and occurs behind closed doors• when witnessed, team members usually side with

the bully

Leaders’ Forum

Workplace Bullying

• 81% of bullies are in supervisory roles

• 58% of bullies are female

• 84% of bullied employees are female

• 21% of all workers have been targeted by bullies

(USA studies: Brunner & Costello, 2003, and Namie, 2003):

Leaders’ Forum

Purpose

• To begin to build consensus around the kind of workplace we all want to have

• To agree on ways to share resources and relate to each other so we can all be productive and enjoy our work.

Leaders’ Forum

Initial Conversation

• In groups of four, take 5 minutes to discuss

– When I’m interacting with a person, I really it like it when…

– The most courteous treatment I’ve experienced recently is…

Leaders’ Forum

A Respectful Workplace

In new groups of four, take 5 minutes to

record your thoughts on:

Features of a really respectful workplace…

Leaders’ Forum

The Face of Disrespect

At your tables:Take a minute to consider, silently, somebehaviours you believe are “outside the limitsof respect” because they- Signal disrespect for others- Undermine confident, productivity,

reputation- Involve misuse of power- Erode others’ well-being

Leaders’ Forum

The Face of Disrespect

• In same groups of four, take 10 minutes to discuss– Examples of behaviour that are outside the

limits of respect and that I find distressing,

even de-motivating

– What I tend to do if someone treats me rudely or aggressively is…

Leaders’ Forum

The Face of Disrespect

• In new groups of four, take 10 minutes to discuss

- Why these behaviours arise and persist

– The impact on the victim of such behaviour

– Some wise ways to respond to and stop this kind of behaviour are…

Leaders’ Forum

Next Steps

In new groups of 4, take 5 minutes to discuss

and record:

1.How I can personally contribute to a

respectful environment…

2. Some “next steps” we can take, as a

group, to prevent bullying behaviour and

foster a respectful work environment…

Leaders’ Forum

Thank You

“What you permit, you promote.”

Leaders at Western have decided to step up

and “call” those behaviours their teams have

said they don’t want to see or promote and to

appreciate the daily acts of courtesy and

civility that do make this University a great

place to work, learn, and live.