Building a foundation of respect - Part 24 | BuildForce Canada

Building a foundation of respect - Part 24

Welcome to the BuildForce blog on Respectful Workplaces! Here we explore issues and provide advice, research, tools, and checklists – everything our industry needs to create respectful and inclusive workplaces where everyone can succeed. Who will benefit? Leaders, managers, HR staff, on-site workers and anyone who wants to understand how to create and support a Respectful and Inclusive Workplace.

Question of the month

(Each month our feature question is taken from the BuildForce Canada Respectful Workplace Online Self-Assessment Tool. This Tool allows organization leadership to assess their progress toward a Respectful and Inclusive Workplace and benchmark their progress confidentially against other construction organizations. This Tool is one of three in the BuildForce Canada online Respectful and Inclusive Workplace Toolkit.)

Does your organization measure the impact of respectful and inclusive workplace policies and processes segmented according to the different genders, backgrounds and circumstances of all workers?

The BuildForce Canada Respectful Workplace Online Self-Assessment Tool identifies "continuous Improvement" as essential to creating and sustaining a respectful and inclusive workplace. Measuring the impact of respectful and inclusive workplace programs and policies segmented by different genders, backgrounds and circumstances ensures that organizations have an accurate picture of the success/failure of their efforts to create a respectful and inclusive workplace for everyone.

There are four related activities that should be conducted annually to achieve continuous improvement.

1. Information gathering

  • This includes workforce information gathered from personnel files or from anonymous surveys about the demographics of your workforce or the number of harassment complaints, etc.

2. Risk assessment

  • The information gathered will indicate areas of "risk" where disrespectful incidences or behaviours could occur or have been occurring.

3. Needs analysis

  • Based on the risk assessment, your organization identifies what it needs to do to reduce/eliminate the risk of disrespectful incidences or behaviours.

4. Outcome evaluation

  • This includes evaluating the success/failure of the actions taken in order identify gaps, and setting goals and timetables for improvement.

For more info:

Join the conversation: Is your organization working to continuously improve its respectful and inclusive plan or set of objectives?
 

World Day of Social Justice, February 20, 2019, “Workers on the Move: the Quest for Social Justice” --- World Day of Social Justice Day promotes efforts to tackle issues such as poverty, exclusion and unemployment. --- Many workers around the world are seeking a better life for themselves and their families. Canada has traditionally welcomed immigrants, and the Canadian construction industry has identified the challenges that new immigrants face in the construction industry: settlement challenges for them and their families, understanding the industry’s culture, language challenges, safety regulations, team interaction and communicating, amd recognition of credentials. To address these issues, BuildForce Canada has identified the need to develop industry best practices to help new immigrants transition into the construction workforce in its 2017 National Industry Strategy. For more information go to buildforce.ca/labour-market-information-/nationalindustrystrategy or bit.ly/2Br9BK0.

Our next installment: Does your organization have an effective Respectful and Inclusive Workplace Policy and Implementation Plan?

PREVIOUS INSTALLMENT: Has your organization developed a communications plan to build awareness of and support for your respectful and inclusive workplace plan or set of objectives?

Read from the beginning. Click here to start at Part 1.

To meet the challenges of the 21st century, the Canadian construction and maintenance industry must be able to recruit and retain workers with a diversity of backgrounds such as Indigenous people, women, immigrants, and young workers. This means building respectful, safe and inclusive workplaces where all workers can succeed. Some of these challenges are: A quarter of a million skilled workers retiring over the next decade. Increased globalization demands more awareness of different cultures. The changing needs of a changing workforce. Increased demands for corporate social responsibility such as fairness and equity.

The BuildForce Canada Online Respectful and Inclusive Workplace Toolkit includes: The Respectful Workplace Online Self-Assessment Tool: to assist organization leadership in assessing their current situation and identifying where they may need to make changes; The Respectful and Inclusive Workplace Online Training Course: to train workers on how to create and support a respectful and inclusive workplace; and The Respectful Workplace Policy Framework and Implementation Guide: to assist organizations in creating and implementing a policy that supports a respectful and inclusive workplace. --- All the resources you need to create and support a respectful and inclusive workplace!

Status of Women Canada logo
This project has been funded by Status of Women Canada.