Guiding Principles for Civility in CEHD

Research shows that civility in the workplace positively affects employee engagement, motivation, performance, productivity and retention.

Guiding principles

1. CEHD community members act and communicate with consideration for the welfare of others.

2. Each member of the CEHD community accepts personal responsibility for creating and maintaining a welcoming, respectful workplace for all. Examples of civil and uncivil behavior.

3. We recognize that structural inequities specific to dimensions like race/ethnicity, gender, class, ability and faith beliefs can impact our interactions.

4. CEHD employees in leadership roles assume responsibility for creating and maintaining a civil workplace within a hierarchical organizational structure.

CEHD leadership civility practices

• Sets clear expectations of civil conduct.

• Models civil behavior.

• Creates and maintains mechanisms for monitoring behavior, giving feedback and holding employees accountable.

• Provides ways for all employees to safely communicate concerns and challenge authority.

• Acts to prevent and respond to offensive or intimidating behavior. Administers negative consequences for behavior that harms others.

• Provides training and guidance for employees on what constitutes disrespectful behavior, the impact of disrespectful behavior on others, each employee’s role and responsibility in creating and maintaining a safe and productive workplace, as well as tools for doing so.

• Provides ways for employees to acknowledge and give visibility to incidences of civility they witness or experience.

• Promotes civility with regard to controversial and potentially divisive issues by providing forums and models for respectfully addressing issues across divergent perspectives and experiences.

• Supports reasonable workloads and deadlines  toward manageable levels of employee stress and fatigue for its employees, a contributing cause of incivility.

• Supports healthy work/life balance and flexibility through HR policies that foster healthy work- and lifestyles. These opportunities are extended equitably (not uniformly) across all employee work groups with special attention to non-traditional family and community formations (chosen, blended, intergenerational, etc.).

• Encourages 360 degree feedback as part of performance appraisal. Ensures staff receive feedback on the extent to which they behave in ways that demonstrate respect for others. Invites peers and subordinate participation in the feedback process.