Anyone interacting with city hall in Williams Lake can expect to be treated with respect.
That’s the gist of a new respectful workplace declaration created by staff that was endorsed by city council last week.
The declaration says whether a person is an employee, elected official or member of the public, that person has the right to a climate of understanding and mutual respect.
“The challenges over the past few months have highlighted the need to attend to our corporate culture in a more intentional way,” executive assistant Heather Silvester noted in a report to council.
“We have established a Respectful Workplace Advisory Committee which is dedicated to creating a respectful workplace through education and engagement.
The objective is to inspire people and to engage our employees to join in helping to create a workplace where all our interactions are conducted with respect and professionalism.”
Chief administrative officer Darrell Garceau said: “It’s just the first step of many positive initiatives that will be undertaken,” he said.
Silvester said a respectful workplace committee was formed and the committee’s first task was to create a declaration that could be placed in all city buildings.
“The next step will be the adoption of a respectful workplace program comprised of monthly topics aimed to educate and engage staff participation.
Throughout this process we will conduct surveys to gage the effectiveness of our program.”