Program Information
Advanced Workplace Fairness Assessments
November 3 to 7, 2025
Live Online via Zoom
Monday to Friday
Noon to 4:30 p.m. (Eastern Time)
Delivered in partnership with the ADR Institute of Ontario
Fairness is our founding principle and workplace fairness is our vision
Every person is treated with equity of concern and respect, regardless of their position, status, or power.
Five-Day Agenda
Click on the "+" for an overview of the learning objectives for each day.
Day 1: Fairness Foundations
Understand the connection between workplace fairness, conflict, and culture
- Understand WFI's founding principle and vision of workplace fairness.
- Understand and explore foundational conflict theories to learn how conflict works in an organizational context.
- Understand the relationship between workplace culture and conflict, utilizing several WFI theories and tools.
Days 2 & 3: Fairness Systems
Understand what a fairness/conflict management system (CMS) is and how to identify, analyze, and transform it
- In this course the terms fairness system and conflict management system (CMS) are used interchangeably.
- Understand the three-step fairness system analysis process.
- Understand the unique features of fairness systems that distinguish unionized from non-unionized workplaces.
- Understand WFI's Holistic Fairness (Conflict Management) System Model, and what distinguishes it from traditional views and approaches to conflict management.
- Practice identifying a workplace's conflict management system (CMS) using WFI's Holistic CMS Checklist.
- Understand the reasons, history, and how to evaluate a workplace's CMS using WFI's Testing Instrument for Fairness Systems (TIFFS) evaluation tool.
- Understand how to prioritize and propose realistic amendments to strengthen a workplace's CMS and positively impact the lives of workplace participants.
- Understand how to forecast the impact of CMS amendments for goal-setting and benchmarking purposes.
- Understand the importance of developing an implementation and monitoring plan for CMS amendments that is focused on continual improvement.
Day 4: Fairness Assessments
Understand what a Workplace Fairness Assessment (WFA) is and how to facilitate WFI's five-phase WFA process
- Understand the various types of workplace assessments, their purposes, and the methodologies used.
- Understand the five-phase WFI Workplace Fairness Assessment (WFA) process, including best practices and challenges as identified in WFI's WFA Roadmap.
- Understand the role of the WFA practitioner, including the importance of adopting a trauma-informed and intersectional WFA approach.
Day 5: Selling the WFA Process
- Understand and explore how to sell the WFA process to workplace leaders, including the WFA value prosition and cost of doing nothing.
- Understand and practice using three practical WFI tools to build a WFA business case, including the WFI workplace health scorecard, respectful workplace survey, and fairness cost analysis tool.
- Explore a WFA Case Study.
Virtual Learning Environment
In conflict management and our learning environment, we recognize that trauma profoundly affects perceptions and reactions, and acknowledge that everyone has unique experiences of discrimination and oppression.
In this program:
- We apply a trauma-informed and intersectional approach.
- We recognize that the content may evoke past experiences or emotions.
- We encourage you to proceed at your own pace and share what you feel comfortable with.
To the extent you are comfortable, we encourage you to be on camera in our live sessions and breakout rooms.
WFI's Learning Hub
Our Learning Hub is an online resource and community for practitioners. It provides you with access to eligible WFI’s e-learning courses, Community of Practice (CoP) events, discussion groups, and resources.
Please Note:
We will set up your account and introduce you to the Hub during the live online session.
Program Delivery Team
Workplace Fairness International has long partnered with the ADR Institute of Ontario to deliver the Advanced Workplace Fairness Assessment and Workplace Restoration Programs to the practitioner community. We are excited to do so again!
Blaine Donais (he/him), Lead Facilitator
Workplace Fairness International, President and Founder
LL.B., LL.M., C.Med., Q.Arb., PHSA, WFA
Read Blaine's Bio (click on the "+")
Blaine founded Workplace Fairness International (WFI) in 2005.
He has devoted over 30 years to advancing workplace safety and fairness in both public and private sector organizations.
His experience includes:
- Practicing union-side labour lawyer and negotiator from 1995 to 2017.
- Chartered Mediator (C.MED.), ADR Institute of Canada.
- Registered Practitioner of Dispute Resolution (RPDR), Canadian International Institute of Applied Negotiations (CIIAN).
- Adjunct Professor of Workplace Dispute Resolution at Atkinson College, York University, Toronto, and Adjunct Professor for the Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources at the University of Toronto.
- Professor for the Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources at the University of Toronto.
- Former Chair of the ADR Institute of Ontario's Chartered Mediator Assessment Committee.
- Author of Workplaces That Work, Engaging Unionized Employees, and The Art and Science of Workplace Mediation (all published by Carswell).
416-720-1229
Tommy Lam, Session Host (he/him)
Senior Manager, Programs
ADR Institute of Ontario
If you require Zoom technical support, please contact Tommy.
437-337-2462
Barb Nekich, Program Support (she/her)
Director, Learning Programs
Workplace Fairness International
If you have questions about the program, including the WFI Learning Hub, please contact Barb.
403-394-5459
WFI Blog and Articles
If you’re interested, here are some articles and suggested readings. All items will open in a new window.
WFI's Blog
Workplace Restoration = Workplace Transformation
Workplace restoration is a culture change exercise to heal workplace trauma. In this article, we explore what workplace restoration is and its crucial features of empowerment and recognition.
Why Conflict Management Should Be Considered a Workplace Psychosocial Risk Factor
Poorly managed conflict doesn’t just disrupt teams—it directly impacts psychological health and safety. In this article, we explore how conflict management systems (or the lack thereof) contribute to stress, burnout, and perceptions of unfairness in the workplace—and why addressing this risk is essential for organizational well-being.
Psychological Health and Safety: It’s All About Fairness
Fairness isn’t just a value—it’s a condition for psychological safety. This article explores how perceptions of fairness shape trust, engagement, and well-being in the workplace, and why fairness must be a core principle in any health and safety strategy.
Taking a Trauma-Informed Approach to Conflict Management Systems Analysis and Design
When conflict systems ignore trauma, they risk deepening harm. This article outlines how a trauma-informed and intersectional lens can strengthen conflict management systems—building trust, safety, and inclusivity across the organization.
Articles & Suggested Readings
