In the world of engineering and geoscience, fostering a positive and inclusive workplace culture is essential not only for business success but also for the well-being of employees. The recent “Women in the Workplace: A Shift in Industry Work Culture” report by APEGA sheds light on the challenges women, and likely others, face within engineering and geoscience professions. It highlights issues related to workplace culture, gender-based discrimination, career development, and more.

The Toxic Culture Challenge

A toxic culture can manifest in many ways. It may include hostility, discrimination, harassment, and a lack of inclusivity. As we’ve seen in the report, this culture affects engineers across the gender spectrum. Here’s a closer look at the impact:

• Career Development and Advancement: Engineering and geoscience businesses often hire women at the entry level, but promotion rates don’t reflect equal opportunities. This disparity limits women’s later participation in professional and managerial roles, stifling their career growth.

• Bias, Discrimination, and Harassment: Gender-based discrimination is a pressing issue. A significant percentage of female engineers and geoscientists have experienced it, creating an environment where engineers and geoscientists are not treated equitably.

• Maternity and Parental Leave: Issues related to maternity and parental leave, like returning to the same role or facing career progression implications, can deter women engineers and geoscientists from pursuing leadership roles.

• Workplace Environment: The report highlights that there are different perceptions of gender’s influence on workplace treatment. Ensuring equal treatment for all employees, regardless of gender, is crucial.

A Solution: Respect in the Workplace Program

One solution to counteract the effects of a toxic culture in engineering and geoscience organizations is the “Respect in the Workplace” program. This program aims to foster a culture of respect, eliminate bullying, abuse, harassment, and discrimination, and create a more inclusive environment by educating people and addressing bias and discrimination issues. It offers key benefits:

• Cultural Transformation: Engineers and geoscientists can learn to embrace respect as a core value within their organizations, promoting a healthier workplace culture.

• Professional Development: The program equips engineers and geoscientists with communication and conflict resolution skills, making them effective leaders and contributors.

• Inclusivity: The focus on inclusivity and diversity helps ensure that every voice is heard and valued.

Collaborative Solutions

Addressing these issues requires a collective effort from engineers and geoscientists, employers, and organizations. While our “Respect in the Workplace” program is an important first step forward, we recognize that it’s not the only path to positive change. Here are some collaborative approaches:

• Mentoring and Sponsorship Programs: Engineering and Geoscience businesses can establish mentorship programs to support the career development of underrepresented groups and create pathways for advancement.

• Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives: Employers can proactively foster inclusivity by implementing policies and practices that promote diversity and equal opportunities for all.

• Flexible Work Arrangements: Flexible work options can accommodate employees’ needs, including maternity and parental leave, promoting work-life balance.

• Collective Awareness: Promote dialogue and discussions within the engineering and Geoscience community to raise awareness about workplace culture issues and work towards collective change.

Act Now

The impact of a toxic culture on engineering and Geoscience businesses and their employees is clear, and the need for change is urgent. By taking action through programs like “Respect in the Workplace,” engineering organizations can foster a positive atmosphere that promotes productivity, engagement, and employee retention where engineers and geoscientists of all backgrounds thrive and contribute to their full potential. Let’s work together to build a more respectful, inclusive, and equitable engineering and geoscience community.

Brad Blaisdell
Leading positive change
Vice President – Workplace Solutions and Compliance – Respect Group

At Respect Group we’ve had the opportunity to work with more than 40 municipalities across Canada, working with their leadership to build Respect in the Workplace. In the same breath, we’ve connected with hundreds of municipality leaders and uncovered some common culture-building challenges many of them are facing. Here’s a look at some of those unique challenges.

Municipalities are the bedrock upon which our communities are built. They are responsible for delivering essential services, fostering economic growth, and ensuring the well-being of their residents. However, behind the scenes, many municipalities grapple with a challenge that transcends budget constraints and administrative hurdles: company culture. It might seem surprising that organizations dedicated to public service struggle with something as intangible as culture, but the reality is that municipal entities, just like businesses, face unique cultural dynamics that can impact their effectiveness and the well-being of their employees. And in my experience, the issues experienced in municipalities are plentiful and unique. Here is a breakdown of some of the problems municipalities face in their quest for a positive company culture.

A maze of bureaucracy

Municipalities often operate within bureaucratic structures that prioritize rules and regulations. This can lead to challenges such as slower decision-making and resistance to change. Because of this, progress can not only be slowed down, but it can paralyze change, leading to stagnant and less progressive work environments that fail to keep up with modern workplace practices.

Political turnover

Frequent changes in leadership due to elections can disrupt efforts to establish a consistent cultural vision. Each new administration may bring different priorities, making cultural continuity difficult to achieve.

Resource challenges

With funds primarily allocated to essential infrastructure, public safety and healthcare, limited resources are leftover for employee training initiatives. As a result, training programs are often underfunded or deprioritized.

In addition, municipalities tend to be leanly staffed in the first place, leading to overworked employees and little time to spare for culture-building efforts. This vicious cycle tends to lead to burnout and high rates of turnover.

Regulation overload

Municipalities are subject to many regulations, including labour laws and civil service rules. These regulations often influence work culture by shaping hiring practices, employee behaviour, and resource allocation. Compliance with these regulations can sometimes lead to rigid structures and limited flexibility, impacting innovation and adaptability within municipal organizations, which, in turn, can negatively impact the overall work culture.

Public scrutiny

Municipalities face intense public scrutiny due to their pivotal role in communities. This scrutiny from constituents, media, and regulatory bodies creates a pressure cooker environment for employees. This constant spotlight can lead to heightened stress, job dissatisfaction, and anxiety, affecting overall work culture and employee well-being as they navigate the challenges of serving the public under intense scrutiny.

Training to help address these challenges

Building a work culture of respect, particularly in light of the challenges laid out above, cannot easily happen organically. Its transparent municipalities are struggling with issues, and breaking this cycle requires a commitment to culture, leadership development, and active employee engagement. This commitment, I believe, starts with equipping leaders with training that offers a sustainable way to educate, build awareness and upskill their leadership teams to prioritize employee wellbeing and break the cycle of culture being pushed to the side. 

By tackling these core issues, municipalities can build a more positive and effective workplace culture that benefits both their employees and the communities they serve.

Join our Municipality Panel on September 20th

Want to learn more about the unique challenges being faced by municipalities in Canada? We’ve got an expert panel on this exact topic on Wednesday, September 20th featuring Marjorie Munroe, C.Med. of the City of Calgary and Michelle Phaneuf, Conflict Manager of Workplace Fairness that you don’t want to miss.

Register here to reserve your spot!

Brad Blaisdell
Leading positive change
Vice President – Workplace Solutions and Compliance – Respect Group

In the fast-paced world of today’s organizations, fostering a civil and respectful environment is crucial for the wellbeing and success of both employees and organizations as a whole. Uncivil work environments can lead to a range of problems that negatively impact productivity, employee morale, and even the organization’s reputation. For the past 12 years, I’ve worked with leaders across North America and have seen some unimaginable issues that have stemmed from these toxic work environments. Here are some of the most prevalent issues that come up, and how they can be addressed in today’s workforce.

1. Decreased Productivity
In a toxic work environment, negative interactions and disrespectful communication can hinder productivity. Employees who experience bullying, harassment, or disrespectful behavior may become disengaged and demotivated. The hostile atmosphere stifles creativity, collaboration, and teamwork, leading to decreased productivity levels.

2. High Employee Turnover
Toxic work environments often result in increased employee turnover. When employees feel disrespected or constantly mistreated, they may seek alternative employment opportunities. In fact, a toxic work environment is ten times more likely to contribute to employees quitting. This turnover not only incurs recruitment and training costs but also leads to the loss of valuable company knowledge and hinders organizational progress.

3. Poor Employee Morale
Uncivil behavior significantly reduces employee morale and job satisfaction. When employees are subjected to disrespect and mistreatment, they experience frustration, anxiety, and demotivation. Low morale leads to decreased job satisfaction, reduced loyalty to the organization, and an overall negative work atmosphere.

4. Increased Stress and Mental Health Challenges
Given that most of us spend the majority of our days and energy at work, increasing hostility brought on by incivility doesn’t bode well for our mental health. According to the US surgeon general, leading factors that contribute to a toxic work environment include overwork, unfair pay, and harassment and discrimination. The presence of toxic behavior in the workplace contributes to heightened stress levels among employees. Verbal abuse, bullying, and other forms of mistreatment can have severe consequences. Increased stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout can result, impacting job performance and overall wellbeing.

5. Lack of Psychological Safety
Incivility also hinders effective communication within the workplace. When employees fear expressing their opinions, concerns, or ideas due to potential backlash, communication channels break down and psychological safety is negatively impacted. This breakdown leads to misunderstandings, decreased collaboration, and a lack of opinion diversity that normally drives effective decision-making.

6. Poor Company Culture
A toxic work environment contributes to a lousy company culture. If disrespectful behavior remains unchecked, it becomes normalized and perpetuated within the organization. Trust is eroded, relationships are damaged, and a toxic atmosphere prevails, affecting the overall culture and image of the organization.

7. Legal and Corporate Reputation Risks:
Uncivil behavior exposes organizations to legal and reputational risks. Harassment, discrimination, and other forms of mistreatment can result in lawsuits, tarnish the organization’s reputation, and have financial and legal consequences.

The good news for organizations is these toxic environments can be managed and prevented. In order to do this, organizations must prioritize creating a culture of respect and implementing policies and procedures to prevent toxic behavior from taking over. Here are some proven strategies to consider:

Promote a Culture of Respect
Leadership plays a crucial role in setting the tone for respectful behavior in any organization. It’s leadership’s job to emphasize the importance of respect, inclusion, and diversity throughout the organization. Fostering an environment where employees feel safe, valued, and supported is good for business, and it’s the right thing to do.

Establish Clear Policies and Procedures
Develop and enforce policies that explicitly address toxic behavior, including bullying, harassment, and discrimination. It’s key to ensure employees are aware of these policies and provide multiple channels for reporting incidents.

Provide Training and Development
Offer (and oftentimes, mandate) training programs that educate employees about the impact of toxic behavior and promote positive workplace interactions. Focus on building emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, and effective communication skills. The benefits of this training include not only better safeguarding your organization from these toxic behaviors, but it helps organizations brand themselves as a progressive leader in their industry, which can help with recruitment and retention efforts.

Lead by Example
Leaders and managers should exemplify respectful behavior in their interactions with employees. By modeling civility, they create a positive work culture where respect is the norm.

Encourage Open Communication
Create avenues for open dialogue and feedback. Encourage employees to voice their concerns, ideas, and opinions without fear of retribution. Foster a culture that values diverse perspectives.

Conclusion: A Culture of Respect Breeds Success!
Building a civil and respectful work environment is essential for the wellbeing and success of employees and the organization as a whole. By addressing the common issues associated with toxic behaviors, organizations can foster a positive atmosphere that promotes productivity, engagement, and employee retention. Together, let’s create workplaces where respect and professionalism are the foundation for success.