Statement on a Safe and Respectful Work Environment
A story was aired in the media regarding The City of Calgary and a respectful workplace issue at 911. Allegations of inappropriate behaviour are taken very seriously, regardless of gender or any other factor, and will not be tolerated. Whenever there are circumstances that may be in conflict with our respectful workplace mandate, action is taken in keeping with our policies and processes.
To protect the privacy of all individuals involved in an investigation, The City does not discuss personnel matters in public. That includes details of any allegations, the subsequent investigation and resulting action(s).
All City employees are guided by corporate-wide behaviours that include character, competence, commitment and collaboration. In support of our workplace culture, numerous actions have been taken to foster a respectful workplace, including a review of Code of Conduct policies, and the Respectful Workplace policy.
“We are continually reviewing our programs and policies to support a healthy, safe and respectful workplace. It is essential that our employees feel they can express concerns through the channels available to them and that their report will be investigated in a fair and objective manner while offering individual support to all involved,” states Helen Gardiner, City of Calgary’s Manager, People and Culture.
In respect to the environment at 911, Richard Hinse, Commander Calgary 911 indicates that “While I cannot speak to details on any personnel issue, I can say that immediate action was taken when this matter was brought to my attention. It was dealt with appropriately and actions taken according to City policy. Everyone wants respect and everyone deserves it. This is a fundamental right that I believe in and am committed to.”
In the past two years, The City has created a new People and Culture division, developed an e-learning course on the Respectful Workplace policy for all management and employees, expanded our Corporate Employee Survey to measure our culture advancements, and continued face-to-face presentations with employees by Respectful Workplace subject matter experts and other leaders.
Our hard work to instill a culture of integrity has not gone unnoticed. Media Corp listed The City of Calgary as one of Alberta’s Top 70 Employers in 2016. We are also one of Canada’s Best Employers as named by Forbes magazine, ranking us 15th in a list of 250 companies across 25 Canadian industries and first in the government services category.
We are actively contributing to a healthy work environment and we are proud of our employees and the well-earned positive reputation they have earned. We continue to support our employees by offering them a safe and respectful work environment and will listen, respect and act as needed.