THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay’s Respect campaign has taken hold at one of the city’s largest employers.
Dan Topatigh, president and CEO of Tbaytel, on Thursday said with more than 400 employees, each with their own world view, values and backgrounds, introducing the decade-old program at the municipally owned utility seemed like the right thing to do.
The announcement also came on the International Day of Peace.
“For us it really is an opportunity to make all of our employees aware of the importance of respect, not only in the workplace, but also as they deal day-to-day with customers in that kind of trying environment, at times,” Topatigh said.
“We saw this as an opportunity to build it into our strategic plan, bring it into our policies and really try to piggyback on the hard work that’s already been done by some of those organizations.”
More than 60 companies and organizations around the city have adopted the Respect model, which asks people to challenge attitudes, beliefs and behaviours that don’t recognize the importance of human dignity.
It also teaches different ways to interact in different settings.
Topatigh said success will mean a more vibrant, healthy workplace.
“We feel it’s important they return to their homes each and every day in a good, healthy mental environment and we think this is going to be able to add to that over a long period of time,” Topatigh said.
Lee-Ann Chevrette, who heads up the city’s crime prevention council, said any day an organization the size of Tbaytel embraces the Respect ideals is a great day in her books.
It doesn’t happen overnight, she added.
“We have been working with them for the past year, doing some training with their staff as they roll that out into their organization,” Chevrette said.
“We’re really pleased. I think it shows leadership in the community that they are embracing and entrenching the values and principles of Respect into their organization. They have such reach out into the community, through their customer base, that I think the message of respect will move throughout the community through them. I think it’s wonderful.”
She’s hopeful Tbaytel’s decision will act as a catalyst to bring even more organizations into the Respect fold.
