RACP President update: Civility

Dear members and College professional team members,
I’m Professor Jennifer Martin, President of the RACP.
One of the most important fundamental rights everyone has is to be treated with civility. Despite most Fellows, trainees and colleagues treating each other with civility, one of the most significant, persistent workplace hazards at the RACP is poor workplace relationships - (because of some members’ incivility to each other) and between some members and our College professional staff team.
Incivility includes racism and its tolerance of such. This is shown by our own RACP risk assessments and complaints. Although it might sound like a trivial issue, it is not. Behaving with civility in the workplace isn’t just the right thing to do. Research shows a lack of it has serious measurable effects on the way organisations of all types and the people within them perform.
We know, for example, that inappropriate behaviours in our healthcare settings can lead to poor health outcomes. Incivility also has significant and lasting psychosocial impact on those affected. Previously those behaviours or circumstances within the College may have been tolerated, dismissed as insignificant, or ignored.
But times have changed.
It is no longer acceptable for incivility to be swept under the carpet. Incivility has a real, demonstrable effect on people and performance, and the poor relationships stemming from it are a workplace hazard.
As some of you may already know, employers are required under Workplace Health and Safety laws to proactively investigate and resolve any behaviours that might expose people in the workplace to psychosocial hazards.
We have a legal positive duty to investigate and eliminate or control psychosocial hazards affecting employees. This duty doesn’t just apply to circumstances involving College teams or contractors. It legally extends to any volunteer, be they a trainee, or Fellow working anywhere on behalf of the College on RACP business.
It legally extends to interactions between members and staff, both one-on-one and in committee meetings, external workplaces on College business, and member-to-member on College business. What this underlines is the simple importance of being civil to each other in the workplace.
To underscore that requirement, the Board is implementing several changes effective immediately:
• All College Committee Chairs are now required to read out a Civility Statement. This will be conducted at the beginning of College meetings to remind attendees of their obligation to behave in a civil manner towards each other, regardless of whether they are College members or professional staff.
• We will be implementing a Civility Control Procedure, which clarifies our expectations around professional and civil workplace interactions.
• Committee members and College team members will be empowered to speak up where they witness situations that may create psychosocial hazards, without fear of retribution.
Fellows and trainees are bound by the College’s Code of Conduct and College team members by workplace relations laws.
In cases of persistent hazard creating behaviour, the Board has the authority to remove any member from College office under Section 8.5.4 of the Governance of the College Bodies Bylaw.
Where cases are substantiated, we will not hesitate to act. We will have further initiatives to announce in the new year. These changes do not mean that we cannot debate and disagree with one another or express strong opinions or views, but we should always do so with civility.
Thank you
Professor Jennifer Martin
RACP President