Safe and Respectful Workplaces
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Safe and Respectful Workplaces is a pilot leadership experience that supports the Culture of Care Safety Action Plan, team leaders and their teams in the co-creation of intentional team culture.
About
This pilot aligns with the commitments made in the University's Culture of Care safety action plan, People Strategy and Framework for a Psychologically Healthy and Safe Workplace, and focuses its attention at the team level. Each team will be asked to reflect upon how they currently work together and imagine an even better way of working together going forward. The goal is for the team to collectively envision what a "culture of care" would look like in their context and to identify norms and behaviours that would enable the team – and each of its members – to thrive.
Activities include: a semi-structured conversation, supported by asynchronous learning; coaching for the team lead; an opportunity for internal feedback; and engagement with professional facilitators.
Eligibility
Leaders and their teams are eligible if they are committed to change that inevitably accompanies continuous improvement and are willing to invest the time and effort needed to co-create change. We are seeking 9 teams that function well together and share a desire to grow from good to even better.
Eligible teams will:
- Have 10 members or fewer
- Demonstrate a readiness to engage in growth and development (See the comic strips below).
- Be fully available for the dates listed in one of the three scheduled cohorts.
Is your team ready? Which team are you?
Use these questions to reflect on whether your team is ready.
Participation
Leaders will receive leadership development support and professional coaching before engaging their team in facilitated conversations around intentional team culture. Three teams will go through the experience at a time (9 teams in total); however, each team will participate independently of the other teams.
Activities over the course of 16 weeks with our expert facilitators will include asynchronous preparation, virtual coaching for the team lead, an opportunity for team feedback, and a virtual and in-person meeting with all team members.
Estimated completion time for the pilot:
Leader - ~22 hours* over 16 weeks
Team - ~15 hours* over 16 weeks
*These hours include time to complete asynchronous learning activities, prepare for coaching and/or team conversations, and participate in coaching and/or team conversations. As such, the time commitment may vary considerably. Additional time and effort will be required to carry out any decisions made by the team.
Location:
The majority of meetings will take place virtually. Organizational Development will book a meeting room for the in-person, facilitated team conversation on North Campus.
Cost
There is NO cost to the selected team in this pilot.
facilitators
Jess Robinson Lychak
Lead facilitator
Jess is a thought partner for leaders who are hungry to learn. She has years of expertise coaching and training executives and teams in the skills of developing trust and accountability, resolving conflict, and enhancing performance. Jess has held leadership roles in not-for-profit arts organizations and the health care sector. She has a Master’s degree in Leadership Development from Royal Roads University and is a Professional Certified Coach. A former actor and director, Jess brings creativity and fun to the design and facilitation of leadership programs.
Kerri Robinson
Lead facilitator
Kerri has always been captivated by the process of change and the transformation of systems through precision and critical thinking. With a Master's in Business Administration specializing in leadership, she has studied change extensively. In her previous role at Alberta Health Services, she led high-stakes capital projects, driving impactful transformations.
Currently, Kerri co-facilitates leadership development sessions with her partner, conducts creative strategic planning sessions, and actively seeks opportunities to apply innovative thinking to leadership and business contexts. She holds a diploma in solution-focused coaching from Erickson International and is an Associate Certified Coach.
Schedule
The Safe + Respectful Workplaces pilot will take place between August 2024 and February 2025. Teams will participate in the pilot during one of three scheduled cohorts over a period of 16 weeks.
- Cohort 1: August - November 2024
- Cohort 2: September - December 2024
- Cohort 3: November 2024 - February 2025
See specific dates for each cohort here.
*Each cohort has room for 3 teams. Cohorts were developed for scheduling purposes only. A team will participate in the pilot independently of the other two teams.
For successful completion, the leader and all team members are expected to:
- Complete pre-work.
- Attend all the sessions, both virtual and in-person. Some sessions will be specific to the leader and require only the leader. Remaining sessions require the full participation of all of the team.
- Implement what is decided upon by the team.
Availability
There is space for 9 teams.Applications
The application is available for your review. We recommend these three steps before you complete the application.
Would you like to view this in a PDF?
Selections will begin in mid-July for teams who are interested in beginning the process in August. When selecting teams, Organizational Development will also prioritize representation from different parts of the institution.
We will update this page when the selections have been filled.
