Workplace violence : moving toward restorative practices as an alternative to traditional progressive discipline at Canada Post Calgary

Canada Post Corporation (CPC) has a longstanding history of using progressive discipline to influence behaviour in a heavily unionized environment. In this paper, however, I question the effectiveness of limiting ourselves to progressive discipline to address incidents of workplace violence between two or more employees. Recent initiatives have challenged frontline supervisors to use discipline as a last resort. In search of an alternative to progressive discipline I looked to answer the question, “How can CPC Calgary move toward a restorative approach to workplace violence? ” To help answer this question I reviewed literature on restorative justice, workplace violence, behaviour change, and learning organizations. Then, using the action research methodology, Canada Post employees were engaged in a survey, interviews, and a focus group. My research revealed that Canada Post supervisors believe strongly in zero tolerance for violence in the workplace. The literature, however, warned that zero tolerance may come at the price of reduced confidence in one’s ability to navigate workplace violence and of oversensitivity to low intensity incidents. This is a price that Canada Post may currently be paying. In fact my research showed that Supervisors often do not feel they have the skillset to navigate workplace violence without making a mistake. This led to the question, “Is it safe to be accountable at Canada Post? ” In a place of safety Canada Post employees may be more willing to admit, “I made a mistake and I am sorry. ” Safety is also needed in order for CPC supervisors to be willing to explore alternative approaches such as restorative approaches. It is my hope that three recommendations can help move Canada Post forward. First I recommend a restorative behaviour change model to interrupt the cycle of uncivil or bullying behaviours. The model respects the principles of restorative justice and provides a structured RESTORATIVE APPROACH TO WORKPLACE VIOLENCE 5 alternative to progressive discipline. Next I recommend supervisor learning labs to foster strategy exploration, rapid learning, skills development, and confidence. Lastly I recommend the tiered development of subject matter experts to allow for timely support to increasingly complex incidents of workplace violence such as bullying. RESTORATIVE APPROACH TO WORKPLACE VIOLENCE 6 Acknowledgements I am full of gratitude for those who supported me throughout the course of my thesis work. Thought provoking conversations, gentle nudges, constructive feedback, and words of encouragement were just a few of the investments made by those who walked this journey with me. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my thesis supervisor, Niels AggerGupta, PhD. Your feedback, time, and affirmation kept me moving forward. As well, a big thank you to my second committee member, Catherine Etmanski, PhD, who demonstrated flexibility and such incredible efficiency in taking on my thesis review unexpectedly and providing rich feedback. Thank you as well for my external reviewer, Dr. Brenda Morrison, for agreeing to be part of a stranger’s learning journey. Also, critical in my journey was my amazing editor, Shanaya Nelson. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and helping to make this a better product. Thank you to Canada Post, the sponsoring organization, for allowing me to crack open the book and take a look. I am truly grateful for such an amazing workplace. Of course it is made that way by the people in it. A special thanks to Dave Gylywoychuk, my project sponsor, and Nina Mankovitz for their guidance on completing research at CPC and for the great conversations around the subject. Thank you to Marcel Viveiros, Tom Dixon, and Brian Sanesh for allowing me to research within your facilities without hesitation about the time it would take from other work. Thank you to all of those who said “yes” to being research participants. Thank you to my colleagues and my own team at work who patiently put up with my ramblings and hectic moments. RESTORATIVE APPROACH TO WORKPLACE VIOLENCE 7 Finally, to my wife Maria, who is the most important person in my world, this really was “our” journey and not just mine. Thank you for cheering me on, even when I left early in the morning and when I worked late. You brought me tea at the perfect times and also brought our son for the perfect 5-minute breaks full of baby smiles. When I was frustrated you were there, when I was stuck you were there, and when I finished you were still there. I love you more than you can imagine and know that this is “our” accomplishment. RESTORATIVE APPROACH TO WORKPLACE VIOLENCE 8 Table of