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VAUGHAN, ONT. — A new best practices guide, , released recently by the provides tips and strategies to improve satisfaction of employees and boost productivity.

The nine-page guide outlines the strategic advantages of promoting a positive workplace culture and provides tactics on how to lay the foundations for change by cultivating conflict resolution skills, addressing contentious topics, creating buy-in and facilitating open communication spaces.

It also offers tips for toolbox talks and what to do before, during and after a talk.

The guide shares where employers can find tools and materials to help with the process such as the , and the .

Under the Ontario Human Rights Code and Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), employers are legally required to have a policy that addresses workplace violence and harassment and conduct an annual review of the document.

In instances of workplace harassment at sites, work-related events, or within the workplace, employers, supervisors and workers can be held accountable under the OHSA and human rights code.

Research has shown investing in a positive workplace culture with a supportive and inclusive environment boosts employee morale and productivity and overall job satisfaction.

“Construction employers and other industry stakeholders have a moral obligation to cultivate a positive and collaborative workplace culture as well as a legal responsibility to safeguard workers from acts of racism, harassment and violence in the workplace,” explains RESCON president Richard Lyall in a statement. “This best practice guide will help them understand why it is critical to have a corporate environment where teamwork, safety and efficiency are paramount, and how it can benefit them both from a safety perspective and financially.”