Respectful Workplace Policy A new tool to address abusive environments

For the first time in history, Minnesota state employees are now guaranteed a professional and respectful workplace. Following a three-year anti-bullying campaign by the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE), the Respectful Workplace Policy was announced by Minnesota Management & Budget (MMB) on April 10, 2015.

Minnesota is a national leader in recognizing the importance of healthy and respectful classrooms and work environments, and is one of only a handful of states to tackle workplace bullying head-on with a law or policy affecting state employees.

In 2012, after hearing some truly egregious stories about the health and employment impact on members who had been bullied on the job, we knew we had to take action. MAPE began developing a plan to protect our members. We had some success when a number of managers were eventually removed from their positions due to their abusive managerial style but more work was needed. As part of our legislative strategy, MAPE met with then-state Rep. Ryan Winkler (D-Golden Valley) who, in turn, asked MMB and MAPE to create a policy addressing acceptable and unacceptable behaviors necessary for a professional workplace.

This new statewide policy will be an important step forward in creating healthy work environments.

The policy can be found here.