Although Vi’s annual employee satisfaction survey earned us national recognition and certification as a Best Place to Work™ across all locations in 2019, we learned that we had an opportunity before us to elevate our commitment to respect in the workplace. It prompted a call to action concerning how respect was being lived out on a day-to-day basis. Employees made remarks such as, “My leader rarely says good morning to me, but rather just immediately dives into the tasks of the day” and “I feel we could do a better job welcoming new employees”. Our understanding was deepened through feedback sessions following the survey when employees made it clear that how we treat each other is critically important to overall well-being. They highlighted the potential impact of even one seemingly innocuous encounter and we knew we needed to shine a spotlight on what respect means to us as an organization, build understanding and awareness, and gain commitment in every corner.

We first began by adding RESPECT to our core values of INTEGRITY, COMPASSION and EXCELLENCE and introduced it to the company with a video message from our President, Randy Richardson.

We continued our messaging through a variety of communication platforms, including our quarterly newsletter and team gatherings. We tapped into numerous external and internal experts to shape our training strategy, which resulted in a comprehensive instructor-led program scheduled to be delivered by leaders and HR practitioners in 2020. The story could have very well ended there given the arrival of the pandemic and civil unrest. However, we recognized that the unexpected turn of events provided us with opportunity to witness our values in action and gain momentum towards integrating Respect as a core value in our culture. As one leader put it, silver linings can be found where you least expect it and our intuitions propelled us forward.

In addition to inviting Diversity and Inclusion expert Risha Grant to speak to our entire leadership team, we curated and distributed reading materials and held virtual “listening meetings”, facilitated by our own certified social services leaders. Also, due to the need to maintain social distancing and avoid large gatherings, we redesigned the Respect training from an entirely instructor-led course to a blended delivery solution that can be consumed individually or in small groups. We shaped the content into micro-learning bits which we branded, “Sprouts”.

The initial three modules that have been developed are summarized below and are scheduled to be delivered in the first quarter of 2021.

MODULE 1 Contributing to a Respectful Workplace at Vi

• Method: Video
• Objective: Define what makes Vi a respectful workplace.
• Description: Randy Richardson defines respect and shares key responsibilities and thoughts on how to create and maintain a respectful workplace. The video includes a summary of key responsibilities and thought-provoking discussion questions.

MODULE 2 Vi’s Respectful Workplace Framework

• Method: Interactive PDF
• Objective: Define Vi’s framework for establishing a mutually respectful workplace.
• Description: A PDF document that provides the framework on how Vi is establishing a respectful workplace. The document includes questions to help put the Respect framework into practical terms.

MODULE 3 Why Respect is Important

• Method: Video
• Objective: Identify why a respectful workplace is important at Vi.
• Description: Respect is important to employees. This video provides statistics on the importance and impact of respect in the workplace. It also includes questions to help identify the benefits of a respectful workplace.

We anticipate that the implementation of these modules will maximize the impact of our actions thus far and further our purposeful intent of fully realizing a respectful workplace for all.

We elected to bypass our annual survey in 2020 to focus on the singular goal of keeping our residents and employees safe. However, we conducted a shorter pulse survey during the summer months to gauge perceptions related to employee and leader interactions during what can only be described as an incredibly stressful time. Our thought was that if ever there was a time in which the value of Respect would be tested, this was it. Given the differences between our Communities (field operations) and Corporate Office, we administered two different surveys. The results were illuminating!

Communities:

• 85% responded favorably to the question, “Management has consistently communicated important information related to COVID-19.”
• 83% responded favorably to the question, “Management has demonstrated a clear plan of action during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
• 83% responded favorably to the question, “Management has shown sincere care and concern for me throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Corporate Office:

• 99% responded favorably to the question, “I feel I have been provided support by my Manager to work effectively from home.”
• 97% responded favorably to the question, “I feel my manager communicates with me on a regular basis while working from home.”