Civility and Respect

What you need to know:

Promoting and upholding a culture of civility amongst employees helps create a positive and inclusive workplace environment. At Canada Post we aim to foster an environment that supports our values of treating colleagues, customers and all stakeholders with respect. This, in turn, can have a significant impact on enhancing employee productivity, job satisfaction, and overall well-being.

Click to learn more about the National Standard – Civility and Respect

What you can do

1.1 Exercise civility and respect in the workplace:

  • Communicate respectfully with colleagues and superiors, avoiding any abusive or derogatory language.
  • Show interest and attention when someone is speaking to you. Avoid interrupting or talking over others.
  • Put yourself in others’ shoes and understand their perspectives. This can help being more considerate and understanding.
  • Approach conflicts in a respectful and constructive manner, seeking solutions that benefit everyone involved.

1.2 Implement strategies for promoting respectful and inclusive workplaces:

1.2.1 Create a Culture of Respect and Mindfulness

  • Question your assumptions about others and intervene respectfully when witnessing inappropriate behavior.
  • Practice mindfulness and other meditative exercises to help you stay focused and be less reactive to stressors.
  • Consult references such as the Canada Post Code of Conduct and Respect and Fairness – It’s A Two-Way Street to help guide behavior and language that leads to a psychologically safe workplace.
 

1.2.2 Strive for Inclusivity and Fairness

  • Create healthy team dynamics where all members feel safe and respected. Team leaders can click here to access the ED&I safe space toolkit for building a diverse workplace team.
  • Adopt the Safety Spaces guidelines within your team:
    1. Assume positive intent; we are all doing our best, to the best of our abilities, with the knowledge that we have.
    2. Recognize and value the experiences, abilities and knowledge each person brings to the discussion.
    3. Practice active listening: Listen to understand, not to respond. Ask clarifying questions.
    4. Communicate with a positive tone of voice and body language.
    5. Pause and think through your comments before you make them.
    6. It’s okay to make mistakes; be humble if you do.
    7. Avoid interrupting.
    8. Never make derogatory or demeaning comments toward another person or make sexist, racist, homophobic, ableist or victim-blaming comments.
    9. Challenge ideas, not people. Never demean or embarrass a person.
    10. Be open to being challenged or confronted on your ideas or prejudices.
 

1.2.3 Follow formal policies and processes for managing conflict and disrespectful behavior

For more information, please refer to the “Guarding minds at work” resource.

Additional resources: