Standing Together: Responding to Hate in the Workplace

a guide for every shop makers team member on when and how to stand up for yourself, and your community a huge part of the shop makers mission is rooted in building a community that’s safe, and welcoming for all whether you're a staff member, a vendor, or a customer, that mission only works if our stores are places where people genuinely feel safe and welcome while most of the time people bring positivity and care for others into our stores, occasionally someone will bring hate instead if/when this happens, we don't want you guessing about what's okay to do this policy is here so you always know that you are allowed to stand up for yourself and others, you have real options for how to do it, and a team who’s ready and willing to support you when you do this policy is a guide for acting with confidence when faced with hate in the workplace what counts as hate? not every rude or frustrating interaction is hate, and it's worth being able to tell the difference so you can feel empowered to respond appropriately in the moment examples of hate that are never okay, from anyone under any circumstances slurs, insults, or jokes targeting someone's race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, or any other part of who they are refusing to be served by, or refusing to interact with, a teammate or maker because of who they are threats, intimidation, or aggressive behaviour tied to someone's identity harassment of a vendor's products, culture, or background this includes comments dressed up as "just a joke" or "just my opinion" any language or behaviour used to make someone feel unwelcome, unsafe, or lesser because of who they are exa mples of situations that are challenging, but not hateful (these examples still deserve a calm, professional response) a customer who is upset about the operational fee, the price of an item, our return/exchange policy, etc a vendor who disagrees with a store decision or restocking policy someone who may just be having a bad day and is short with you the line between the two isn't about how upset or loud someone is, it's about whether their words or actions target a person for who they are when in doubt, trust your gut if something feels like hate to you (or whoever is on the receiving end), treat it as such evaluating your options in the moment you don't need permission to protect yourself or someone else, but you do have choices in how you do it here are some options stay calm and name it sometimes just letting someone know that a comment isn't okay is enough to stop it (you don't necessarily need to raise your voice in order to be firm!) example "that comment isn't okay i ask that you please keep things respectful " redirect the conversation back to what you're there to do, whether that be helping them find an item, processing a transaction, or answering a question without engaging further with the comment itself example "let's get back to finding what you're looking for today " set a boundary and disengage you're allowed to end an interaction! let the person know you aren’t open to continuing the conversation, and either step away, or pass the interaction off to a teammate if appropriate example "i'm not going to continue this conversation if it keeps going in that direction " ask them to leave if hateful behaviour continues after you've named it, you (and your manager or assistant manager if present) can ask the person to leave the store example "we do not accept comments of that nature here i'm going to have to ask you to leave the store " call for extra support if you feel unsafe at any point, do not hesitate to get a teammate or manager involved immediately, or call security or police if you feel that your safety is at risk trust yourself if something crosses a line badly enough, skip straight to asking the person to leave or calling for help a note on vendors our vendors are the heart of makers if a vendor experiences hate from a customer, a fellow vendor, or anyone else in any of our spaces, they deserve the same protection and response as any staff member if you feel safe to do so, allow yourself to be empowered to support them in the same way you'd want to be supported if you are faced with a situation of this nature, follow up with a manager so they can document it and notify the vendor team if necessary after it happens standing up to hate can be exhausting, even when you handle it exactly right after it happens, write some notes on what was said/done while it’s fresh in your mind and notify your manager, even if the situation has been resolved then, be sure to take a breather step into the back, grab some water, and rest for a few minutes your adrenaline may be running high, so be gentle with yourself the bottom line is that you are never required to accept hate in order to keep a customer happy, make a sale, or just simply to avoid a conflict we want you to feel empowered to stand up for yourself and those around you, and know with full confidence that the whole team has your back when you do if you have any questions or concerns about this policy, please reach out to claire via slack or email at claire\@shopmakers ca