Home to more than 700 seniors, Abbotsford’s Menno Place offers a full range of housing and long-term care options—from independent living to residential complex care. On February 27, Trish Giesbrecht, Manager of Care at Menno, will be a panellist on a webinar hosted by SafeCare BC that will discuss the concept of incivility in the workplace and strategies for staff and leaders on how to create better work environments. We spoke to Trish about the work Menno is doing.

Why is workplace incivility a priority for Menno Place?
We have been focused on the mental health of our staff and last year, we had staff do a psychological safety survey. It was an eye-opening experience because it let us know where we stood as an organization. We realized that within our organization there were areas where there was a lot of incivility, and we needed to do something about it. It’s not where we want to be as an organization.

What are some steps you’ve taken?
It’s a huge task-shifting culture, so we had to figure out what we could accomplish in the short term and begin addressing some of the underlying issues that lead to workplace incivility. We now ensure that managers attend the team meetings and have a greater presence. We encourage managers to engage staff in huddles to find those coaching moments and to provide a safe space for people to talk. If someone wants to vent, I tell them to vent to me. The staff needs to have ownership in changing the culture, and often, it’s about basic communication skills and building trust with the team so they can engage in conversation about the work environment.

What were some of the underlying issues causing some of the incivility?
There are a lot of parallels between incivility mental health and emotional intelligence. Because of this, we intentionally focus on improving our staff's mental health. We have more mental health resources, and we encourage staff to utilize the Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP).

Have you noticed any changes over the past year?
We’ve made some progress. I have seen a genuine collaboration between management and the union. Shop stewards have come to us to see how we can work together and create a shared vision. The union and management have the same goal and share resources. The conversation is changing. Instead of people saying, that’s how it’s always been, people are now saying, maybe that’s not how it should be. It’s a long process, but I am excited by the momentum and energy.