Unwritten Rules of the Workplace

This foundational program is designed for employees who are new to the workforce, new to North American professional culture, or seeking to refine their basic professionalism. Through shame-free learning opportunities, participants are empowered to notice, understand, and meet essential norms of conduct. The program covers professional communication (conversational and digital), maintaining digital and physical environments, and demonstrating reliability through autonomous problem-solving, transparency, and time management.

TOPIC: COLLABORATION

LEVEL: Introductory

Core Skills & Behaviours

Communicate tactfully: Engage in appropriate small talk, navigate sensitive topics, apologize when it’s appropriate, and properly credit colleagues’ work.
Maintain personal and workspace tidiness: Keep physical and digital environments organized. Maintain personal hygiene and appropriate dress as core components of professional responsibility.
Demonstrate autonomy and initiative: Use available troubleshooting options before asking for help, take initiative to solve problems or improve processes, and take action based on constructive feedback.
Practice reliability and time management: Self-manage time, energy, and focus. Transparently update progress and read the “busy cues” of others to minimize disruption.
Practice transparency: Proactively communicate progress, maintain accurate digital statuses, and flag bottlenecks to stay visible while working remotely.

	Snippet Title	Topic Covered
0 (Trial)	Blame Voters	Offers guidelines for discussing sensitive topics in the workplace and strategies for redirecting conversation when it crosses professional boundaries.
1	Friday Fuel-Ups	Frames taking initiative as a basic courtesy and as a tool for career advancement. Suggests looking for gaps, solving problems rather than simply pointing them out, seeking additional responsibility, and taking steps to address feedback.
2	Finally In Person	Explains the value of small talk and explores appropriate and inappropriate topics.
3	A Shout Out	Encourages learners to explicitly and publicly thank and give credit to colleagues for their work and offers guidelines for tactful self-promotion.
4	Derailed Day	Explores the topic of apologies and when saying sorry is and is not warranted at work. Offers a clear strategy for apologizing.
5	A Bit of Feedback	Explains the importance of receiving negative feedback. Recommends listening without interruption or defensiveness, responding with actions, and following up proactively.
6	A Sinkful of Dishes	Explains the shared responsibility of workplace housekeeping tasks. Highlights the invisible burden of these tasks on women and administrative staff.
7	Get the Message	Offers clear steps for reducing digital clutter. Emphasizes choosing the right communication channel and using collaboration tools to reduce duplication.
8	Derailed and Delayed	Illustrates the importance of clear and concise emails and offers step-by-step guidance.
9	A Special Occasion	Explores appropriate and professional dress and personal hygiene. Suggests context-appropriate and tidy dressing that demonstrates care, regardless of the organization’s dress code.
10	A File Labyrinth	Encourages learners to solve problems independently before seeking help from a supervisor. Suggests dedicating a block of time, looking up internal documentation, and consulting colleagues.
11	Where to Start?	Presents time management as an essential professional responsibility and offers techniques for prioritization, time blocking, managing energy and focus, and holding boundaries politely.
12	Playing Catch-Up	Illustrates the importance of transparency, especially when things are not going according to plan. Recommends maintaining an accurate calendar and status, flagging delays immediately, and admitting when you cannot join a meeting rather than being partially present.
13	Another Video Call	Explores video call etiquette and acknowledges the energetic cost of being on camera. Lists specific situations in which cameras should be on, and suggests talking with a supervisor if this cannot be done.
14	Error Message	Encourages the learner to notice visual and digital busy cues and to respect their colleagues’ focus. Shows how to appropriately get someone’s attention.

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