Workplace Restoration: Theory and Practice

This is a one-day course that introduces participants to restorative practices to repair relationships in a workplace context.

There are many reasons why working relationships deteriorate: changes in leadership, a disruptive workplace investigation, reorganization of a department or events that occur entirely outside of the workplace that somehow trickle in. But the one common reason why working relationships deteriorate is that leaders and managers don’t pay attention to these relationships until it’s too late.

Every restorative practice in a workplace will be different, but there are two common elements: the process is voluntary and it gives all parties the opportunity to be heard. Even these two basic elements come with several challenges. How do you get buy-in from employees so they are willing to participate in a restorative practice? How do you give everyone the opportunity to be heard when some of the issues that need to be addressed are highly confidential?

In this course we will help you deal with these fundamental issues and get you comfortable with engaging in restorative practices in the workplace whenever there are signs of interpersonal conflict. Here’s what you’ll learn. How to :

Identify the fundamental elements of restorative practices in workplaces
Evaluate whether a restorative practice is appropriate for a specific situation
Choose the right person to facilitate a restorative practice
Get buy-in from participants while managing their fears and expectations
Understand how to maintain confidentiality in the context of a restorative process
Conduct a restorative practice for a given situation
Manage challenging situations that may arise in a restorative practice
Implement restorative practices in everyday management

The concepts of this course are conveyed through three different scenarios that are introduced to participants at the beginning of the course. Participants will apply the concepts as they learn them through these scenarios in various interactive exercises.

At the end of this course, participants will be able to identify ways in which they can incorporate and engage restorative practices into their workplace.

Your Presenter:

William Goldbloom, BA, MA, JD, Q. Med, is the principal and founder of WG Resolutions. He provides clients with effective and affordable resolutions to workplace conflict and misconduct through investigations, mediations, training and restorative practices.

William has provided training on preventing workplace harassment and conducting investigations across Canada. He is also a Qualified Mediator with the ADR Institute of Canada and received training in workplace restoration by the International Institute of Restorative Practices. Prior to founding WG Resolutions, William was a workplace investigator and trainer at a renowned workplace investigation law firm. He started his law practice as an employment and labour lawyer at an international law firm.