STEP UP FASHION & FOOTWEAR

Positive & Respectful Workplace Policy

At Step Up Fashion & Footwear, we believe that a successful business begins with people who feel respected, valued and supported.

Our goal is to provide a workplace where every employee has the opportunity to learn, grow, contribute and succeed. The success of Step Up is directly connected to the success of the people who work here.

Respect Comes First

Every person who works at Step Up Fashion & Footwear is expected to treat others with dignity, professionalism and respect.

As an employer, we are committed to respecting every employee as an individual. Different personalities, experiences, ideas and points of view are welcome. Employees should feel comfortable expressing their ideas and opinions respectfully.

Disrespectful, intimidating, bullying, harassing, discriminatory or deliberately hurtful behaviour has no place in our workplace. This expectation applies to everyone, including ownership, management and employees.

Open-Door Policy

Step Up Fashion & Footwear maintains an open-door policy.

If an employee has a concern, disagrees with a decision, feels uncomfortable about something happening at work, has a problem with another employee or with management, or simply feels that something could be handled better, we want them to speak up.

Employees are encouraged to bring concerns forward directly and respectfully. We would much rather have a conversation and work toward a solution than allow frustration or misunderstandings to grow.

No employee should be afraid to respectfully ask a question, express a concern or request a private conversation.

No Retaliation for Raising a Concern

An employee who raises a genuine workplace concern in good faith will not be punished or treated unfairly simply for speaking up.

Concerns will be taken seriously and handled as respectfully and confidentially as reasonably possible. Everyone involved will be given an appropriate opportunity to explain their perspective before conclusions are reached.

Communication & Resolving Problems

We recognize that no workplace is perfect. There will sometimes be disagreements, misunderstandings and difficult days.

When they occur, our goal is to address them professionally, fairly and constructively.

We encourage employees to communicate directly rather than allowing problems to become gossip or resentment.

Gossip, personal attacks, spreading rumours, deliberately creating conflict or attempting to turn employees against one another damages the workplace and is inconsistent with the respectful environment we are committed to maintaining.

Respectful Management & Accountability

A positive workplace also requires clear expectations and accountability.

Managers have a responsibility to provide direction, assign duties, establish workplace standards, correct mistakes, address performance concerns and make decisions necessary for the operation of the business.

Providing respectful direction, coaching, feedback or corrective action is a normal part of managing a workplace and should not automatically be interpreted as disrespect or bullying.

At the same time, management is expected to communicate professionally and respectfully when providing that direction or feedback.

Employees are encouraged to ask questions when they do not understand an expectation or when they believe a situation has been misunderstood.

Everyone Has a Voice — and Everyone Has Responsibilities

Having an open-door workplace means employees have the right to respectfully express concerns and opinions. It also means everyone has a responsibility to listen, communicate professionally and respect that others may have a different perspective.

We may not always agree with one another. Respect does not require agreement.

What matters is how we treat one another when we disagree.

Helping Each Other Succeed

Management's responsibility is not simply to tell employees what to do. It is also to provide direction, training, feedback and support so employees have the opportunity to succeed in their positions.

We believe that when our employees succeed, Step Up succeeds.

Mistakes can happen. Whenever reasonably possible, our goal is to use mistakes as opportunities for coaching, learning and improvement.

We want employees to feel proud of their work and understand how their individual contribution helps the entire store succeed.

A Workplace We Build Together

The owner of Step Up Fashion & Footwear works alongside the team in the store on a regular basis. Management wants to remain accessible and connected to what employees experience every day.

A positive workplace is not created by one policy or one person. Every person who works here contributes to our workplace culture.

We want Step Up to be a place where people can work hard, laugh, learn, contribute ideas, make mistakes, improve and be proud of what we accomplish together.

Our commitment is simple:

Respect people.
Listen to one another.
Communicate openly.
Support one another.
Address problems directly and constructively.
Be accountable for our actions.
Give everyone the opportunity to succeed.