Respectful Workplace Policy Template

We encourage you as a theatre — or anyone who may be responsible for a production administered under an Equity scale agreement or engagement policy — to use this template to craft your own individualized Respectful Workplace Policy to:

Meet your obligations under an Equity agreement or engagement policy
Affirm your commitment to ensure a safe and respectful workplace, free from harassment, discrimination, and other forms of inappropriate behaviour
Specify your expectations of workers in collaborating to create a respectful workplace
Provide workers with a clear and thorough understanding of your procedures for reporting and investigating allegations of unprofessional conduct or inappropriate behaviour

Respectful Workplace Policy Template for Small-scale Engagers

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This template is not legal advice. It does not replace applicable provincial regulations or other legal obligations.

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Suggestions

Make the template your own
Not everything in this template will be applicable to your theatre or production and some elements may not be feasible. It’s designed to be general and broadly reference responsibilities of any engager. Be sure to adapt the template to ensure it captures the realities of your theatre and is as specific as possible. And don’t forget to review your policy periodically to ensure it stays current.

Expand on things
The definitions of inappropriate behaviour in this template are derived from Equity’s Bylaws. Feel free to expand on these definitions or add examples that are appropriate and relevant to you and your company.

Be accountable
Ensure everyone in your organization or working on the production understands their commitment and obligations. Share your Respectful Workplace Policy with your board of directors (if you have one) and staff. If you are experienced using apps such as Google Forms, you may consider adding an anonymous online reporting option to your policy.

Keep it real
Implement a plan for periodic check-ins, or another way to ensure that your expectations are being met from first day to last. This will also help remind people that yours is not just a paper policy, but a living and actionable policy for success throughout the entire production.

Share Equity’s Not in OUR Space! materials

Equity is happy to support your efforts to foster a respectful workplace by providing supplemental materials that are part of our Not in Our Space! program.

Make these materials available to the company, either in print or by sharing links.

Please contact your Business Rep or communications@caea.com to request additional materials.

Not in OUR Space! program overview

Guide to being an Equity Liaison

Report inappropriate behaviour