Supporting a Respectful Workplace

By Tara Foster, Senior Employee Relations Advisor, Alberta Health Services with Veronica DeFreitas, Program Manager, Respectful Workplaces Program, Alberta Health Services

These are challenging times, as the COVID-19 pandemic has created a multitude of changes and complexities both at work and at home. As healthcare workers, many rely on our skill and expertise which increases work stress and pressure. So we need to be supportive of one another now more than ever. Being a supportive bystander and ally is an important part of supporting each other.

When we see or overhear interactions in the workplace that are disrespectful, this makes us bystanders. If the behaviour is disrespectful or involves harassment, discrimination, or violence, we have a role to play to address and prevent it from happening in the future. Your response may differ depending on the behaviour. Addressing people’s actions and words may be uncomfortable, but it is important to help create respectful and psychologically safe workplaces – one conversation, one interaction at a time.

...we need to be supportive of one another now more than ever

Keeping your safety in mind, consider these options:

In the moment, speak up and check in with the person being treated disrespectfully. After the event, make sure they are okay by asking them how you can support them. Or check in with the person displaying the behaviour – let them know what impact you observed on those involved. Ask them what is going on for them right now and how you can help. Together, consider strategies to avoid similar behaviours in the future. If appropriate, encourage those involved to talk to each other. If these things don’t work or the situation escalates, speak to your supervisor or manager about the situation.

Sample phrases for addressing disrespectful behaviour

- “What did you mean by that?”

- “I heard this… is that what you meant to say?”

- “That didn’t feel very respectful to me. Help me understand what is going on.”

- “How can we talk about this more respectfully?”

- “This doesn’t feel productive to the conversation. Let’s focus on the topic at hand.”

- “That’s inappropriate. Please stop saying/doing that.”

- “I don’t think you meant it to be, but that sounded disrespectful.”

We are all experiencing different stresses right now, both at work and at home, which can influence how we behave and react to one another. Remember to open up the lines of communication – be curious, ask questions, and clarify intentions. We are all in this together and building respectful workplaces is critical in our support of one another.

To learn more about the role you play in building a respectful workplace, watch the video presentation on “Building a Respectful Workplace” (co-produced by the CLPNA and Alberta Health Services) at https://www.clpna.com/2020/05/video-respectful-workplaces/.