A North American Partnership

Workplace Fairness

Unstoppable Performance Leaders presents
Workplace Fairness International delivers

Unstoppable Performance Leaders has entered into a formal, licensed partnership with Workplace Fairness International, the home of the Donais Fairness Theory™. Under this agreement, UPL represents WFI across North America, bringing its workplace fairness programs and services to organizations throughout Canada and the United States.

UPL presents and manages every engagement, the client relationship, and the customization. Workplace Fairness International, led by founder Blaine Donais, leads and delivers the fairness work. UPL is a 100% woman-owned firm with offices in Toronto and New York.

Start with a conversation

01 The Idea

What Is Workplace Fairness?

“Fairness is equity of concern and respect for every person in the workplace, regardless of their position.”

Blaine Donais, founder of Workplace Fairness International

Where fairness exists, people trust one another, speak up, collaborate, and stay. It is the ground beneath engagement, retention, innovation, and performance. An organization is almost entirely its people, and fairness is what frees those people to do their best work.

Fairness also determines whether conflict happens at all. When people feel treated with dignity, respect, and honest communication, they give the benefit of the doubt. When they do not, the same ambiguous event is read as an attack. Get fairness right and trust compounds. Get it wrong and it erodes quietly, until it costs the organization its people, its productivity, and its legal standing.

This is not about taking sides. A fair workplace serves leaders and organizations as much as employees: stronger engagement and retention, fewer grievances and complaints, lower legal exposure, and people who bring their full effort.

02 The Framework

The Donais Fairness Theory™

“Workplace conflict is not random. It is predictable. And if it is predictable, it is preventable.”

Blaine Donais, founder of Workplace Fairness International

Conflict almost always begins with a perceived injurious event, a moment where someone feels wronged. What makes an event feel injurious is unfairness, which is why fairness determines whether conflict happens at all. Left unseen, unfairness also produces what WFI calls Silent Conflict Theory™: employees who stay but quietly check out, at a real and measurable cost to productivity and trust.

The Three Fairness Strategies Every fairness leadership move reduces to three. 1 Communication Negative attributions live in the absence of information. Explain the reasons behind decisions. 2 Collaboration Involvement and agency reduce perceived unfairness. People commit to what they help create. 3 Proactivity Anticipate and reduce the risk of conflict before it arises. The best-managed conflict is conflict that never happened. Donais Fairness Theory™ and related frameworks are the intellectual property of Workplace Fairness International. Used under licence.
The Cost of Unfairness 2 million professionals leave their jobs each year because of unfairness $37 billion the estimated annual cost of replacing them Most people do not leave. They stay, with their heads down. That is the population fairness leadership is built to reach. Source: Level Playing Field Institute. Figures are United States estimates.

Fairness can be measured

Using the Testing Instrument for Fairness Systems (TIFFS®), the theory scores a workplace’s conflict management system, so fairness becomes something you can baseline, benchmark, and improve, rather than a feeling.

TIFFS®: Fairness You Can Measure The Testing Instrument for Fairness Systems scores a conflict management system across four categories. JUSTICE Are people treated with procedural fairness, with access to proper process? EFFICIENCY When issues arise, are they resolved quickly and cost effectively? ENGAGEMENT Are people genuinely involved? Do they have influence? RESOURCES Do people have what they need to work without undue stress? Simple enough for a boardroom. Rigorous enough to be defensible. Donais Fairness Theory™ and related frameworks are the intellectual property of Workplace Fairness International. Used under licence.

Grounded in the Canadian Standard

The theory is grounded in the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (CSA Z1003), the world’s first national standard of its kind and a foundation of the international ISO 45003 standard. It treats conflict management as a measurable psychosocial risk factor, which is what makes fairness auditable and defensible.

That matters when the question stops being cultural and becomes formal: a board asking what is being done about psychological health and safety, a harassment and violence prevention obligation, or a regulator, insurer, or plaintiff asking what steps the organization actually took. Fairness work gives you evidence rather than intentions.

03 The Founder

Blaine Donais, President and Founder of Workplace Fairness International

Blaine Donais
President & Founder, Workplace Fairness International

LL.B., LL.M., C.Med., Q.Arb., PHSA, RPDR

About Blaine Donais

Blaine Donais is the President and Founder of Workplace Fairness International and the author of the Donais Fairness Theory™. A workplace solicitor and member of the Law Society of Ontario since 1995, he is a Chartered Mediator, Qualified Arbitrator, Psychological Health and Safety Advisor, and Registered Practitioner of Dispute Resolution, with over 25 years of experience across unionized and non-unionized environments. He has trained more than 600 conflict management practitioners worldwide.

Blaine is an Adjunct Professor at York University (Workplace Dispute Resolution) and the University of Toronto (Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources), and the author of Workplaces That Work, Engaging Unionized Employees, and The Art and Science of Workplace Mediation, along with the WFI White Paper on Workplace Conflict Management in Canada.

“Not ‘how do we win the fight,’ but ‘how do we stop the fight from happening in the first place.’”

Blaine Donais

Workplaces That Work

Workplaces That Work

Engaging Unionized Employees

Engaging Unionized Employees

The Art and Science of Workplace Mediation

The Art and Science of Workplace Mediation

04 The Signals

You May Recognize Some of This

Organizations usually come to us when something has become hard to ignore.

Grievances and complaints are rising, and the same issues keep coming back.

A team or department has broken down, and trust has not recovered on its own.

Tension between management and the union is making everyday decisions harder.

Harassment and violence complaints keep surfacing despite policies and training.

Engagement scores are slipping, and good people are quietly leaving, or staying and checking out.

Leaders avoid difficult conversations until small issues become formal ones.

Your board or executive is asking what you are doing about psychological health and safety, and you need a defensible answer.

How Small Things Become Formal Ones Left unaddressed, a perceived injurious event escalates in five predictable ways. Specific becomes general Light tactics become heavy Doing well becomes winning A few people become many A workplace issue becomes a claim against the organization Fairness is what determines whether the first step is ever taken. Donais Fairness Theory™ and related frameworks are the intellectual property of Workplace Fairness International. Used under licence.

These are not separate problems. They are symptoms of a conflict management system that is not working, and that is what workplace fairness addresses. If any of this sounds familiar, contact us and we will map what your organization is navigating against the right starting point.

05 The Signature Program

The Workplace Fairness Culture Program

Our Signature Leadership Development Offering

The only North American program that develops both the individual leader and the conflict management system they work within. Presented by Unstoppable Performance Leaders and delivered by Workplace Fairness International, it turns the Donais Fairness Theory™ into a working culture, and is consistently linked to stronger trust, fewer grievances, and reduced litigation.

The Workplace Culture Triangle™ Culture is behaviours, structures, and ideas. A fairness culture needs all three. BEHAVIOURS STRUCTURES IDEAS Fairness Leadership How leaders act, day to day. Fairness Systems The conflict management system, and the process that renews it. Fairness Commitment The organization’s stated commitment to equity of concern and respect. Behaviours are visible. Structures take research to find. Ideas usually have to be inferred. Donais Fairness Theory™ and related frameworks are the intellectual property of Workplace Fairness International. Used under licence.
01

Fairness Leadership

For all leaders, union leaders, HR and labour relations, health and safety professionals, and ombuds.

It builds how leaders act day to day. It is the prerequisite for the courses that follow, and it can also be taken entirely on its own as a standalone leadership course, which is where we usually recommend starting.

02

Fairness Structure

For senior leaders and internal practitioners.

It introduces the Testing Instrument for Fairness Systems (TIFFS®) and teaches your people to identify and evaluate your conflict management system.

Builds internal capacity
03

Fairness Process

For the same group.

It teaches WFI’s five-phase Workplace Fairness Assessment process, so your organization can run its own assessments.

Builds internal capacity
The Workplace Fairness Culture Program Three sequential courses, each with its own audience. Fairness Leadership WHO IT IS FOR All leaders: supervisors, managers, directors, the C-suite, union leaders, HR and labour relations, health and safety, ombuds. Can be taken on its own. Recommended starting point. Fairness Structure WHO IT IS FOR Senior leaders and internal practitioners. Introduces TIFFS®. Evaluate your conflict management system. Fairness Process WHO IT IS FOR Senior leaders and internal practitioners. Run your own Workplace Fairness Assessments. These build internal capacity Your own people evaluate and rebuild the system, rather than depending on consultants. Donais Fairness Theory™ and related frameworks are the intellectual property of Workplace Fairness International. Used under licence.

What an engagement looks like

Sessions are delivered in half days or full days, in person or virtually, privately to your own group and customized to your organization’s language, sector, and pressures. Participants receive a Certificate of Completion. Where it helps, individuals can attend the public offering first to experience the program before committing to an in-service rollout, which is what several police services are doing now.

What the program delivers

  • Improved trust in leaders and the organization
  • Improved morale
  • Improved productivity
  • Improved psychological health and safety
  • Improved physical health and safety
  • Conflict that is better managed and reduced
  • Greater innovation
  • Stronger communication
  • Increased shareholder and stakeholder value
  • Reduced grievances
  • Reduced violence and harassment complaints
  • Reduced litigation

Contact us and we will map what your organization is navigating against the program, and show you how it can empower your leaders to prevent conflict, build trust, and lead fairly.

06 Entry Points

Workplace Fairness Short Courses

For organizations not yet ready for the full pathway, these targeted sessions serve as an entry point to, and a sample of, the full program.

Understanding Workplace Conflict Conflict Management for Leaders I & II Difficult Conversations for Leaders Understanding Workplace Culture Respectful Workplace Training Respectful Workplace Chartering Managerial Mediation for Leaders I & II Peer Mediation Skills Training Self-Help Conflict Management Training Understanding Psychological Health and Safety

Contact us to find the right starting point for your leaders.

07 Advisory

Workplace Fairness Advisory Services

Beyond training, Workplace Fairness International provides advisory services led by Blaine Donais. Every engagement is scoped to your organization.

Workplace Fairness Assessments Workplace Restoration Union Management Relationship Building Workplace Mediation & Arbitration Conflict Management Systems Design Trauma-Informed Workplace Culture Assessment Workplace Health Assessment & Compliance Respectful Workplace Programs

Contact us to discuss what you are navigating.

The Five-Phase Workplace Fairness Assessment™ How a fairness assessment runs. PHASE 1 Organize Scope the work and build the assessment team. PHASE 2 Assess Gather data on conflict, culture, and the system. PHASE 3 Design Identify gaps and propose targeted changes. PHASE 4 Implement Train operators and pilot the new system. PHASE 5 Monitor Measure continuously against the goals. The process is the result. Donais Fairness Theory™ and related frameworks are the intellectual property of Workplace Fairness International. Used under licence.

08 When It Has Already Broken Down

Workplace Restoration

When a Workplace Has Already Broken Down

Conflict can fester in a team for years, and by the time it surfaces, training alone will not fix it. Workplace Restoration is a transformative process that uses a trauma-informed approach and an intersectionality lens to move a working group from a culture of conflict to one of mutual respect and support. At its core it rebuilds trust: trust in people, in processes, and in the circumstances people work within.

Restoration is not about assigning blame or determining who was right. It empowers the people involved to redefine their working relationships, and it is built on empowerment and recognition: empowering each person to do their best work, and recognizing the humanity of everyone in the room.

When organizations use it

Sustained conflict that has eroded trust, a team or department that is no longer functioning, fallout from a serious incident or a difficult restructuring, or a working group where relationships have broken down and normal management has not been able to repair them.

The Five-Phase Workplace Restoration™ A trauma-informed process for teams where trust has broken down. PHASE 1 Organize Form the restoration team and commit leadership. PHASE 2 Assess Meet one to one with each person involved. PHASE 3 Report Reflect findings back so people feel heard. PHASE 4 Engage Deliver the plan, from one-to-one work to group processes. PHASE 5 Monitor Reinforce the change over the months that follow. Rebuilding trust in people, in processes, and in circumstances. Donais Fairness Theory™ and related frameworks are the intellectual property of Workplace Fairness International. Used under licence.

Building the capability in house

For organizations that expect this need to recur, we can train your own people to lead restorations independently, so the capability stays with you rather than depending on external practitioners. Fairness Leadership is the prerequisite. This is the route several public safety organizations are taking now.

Recently Delivered

Delivered to a major public sector organization where sustained internal conflict had eroded trust and working relationships. The trauma-informed process resulted in the healing of professional relationships, restored trust, and a significantly improved ability to work together effectively.

If this is where your organization is, contact us. We will talk through what has happened and whether restoration is the right response.

09 Trusted By

Trusted Across Government, Policing, and the Public Sector

Workplace Fairness International has worked across government, policing, healthcare, education, unions, and the private sector.

Federal Government

  • Canada Revenue Agency
  • Health Canada
  • Department of National Defence
  • Canadian Armed Forces
  • Parks Canada
  • The Senate of Canada
  • Parliamentary Protective Service
  • Crown-Indigenous Relations & Northern Affairs
  • Indigenous Services Canada
  • Public Health Agency of Canada
  • Public Prosecution Service of Canada
  • Correctional Service Canada
  • FINTRAC
  • Canadian Consulate

Municipalities & Police

  • City of Calgary
  • Calgary Police Service
  • City of Edmonton
  • City of Niagara Falls
  • Niagara Regional Police Service
  • Regional Municipality of Waterloo
  • Township of Lasalle
  • City of Lethbridge

Provincial Government & Agencies

  • Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO)
  • Ontario Nurses Association

Universities & Education

  • University of Toronto
  • York University
  • Toronto Metropolitan University
  • Centennial College
  • Glendon College
  • South Texas University

Unions

  • Canadian Union of National Employees
  • United Steelworkers
  • Ontario Public Service Employees Union
  • Society of United Professionals
  • Power Workers’ Union
  • Sheet Metal Workers Canada

Private Sector & Other

  • Oxford Properties
  • Enwave Energy
  • MPAC
  • Altus
  • Legal Aid Ontario
  • Nokiiwin Tribal Council
  • Durham Mental Health Services
  • Lions Club of Ontario
  • Jo-Anne Place Health Foods

Training & Professional Development Partners

  • Canadian Institute
  • Insight Info
  • Lancaster House
  • HRPA (Ontario, Alberta)
  • ADR Institute of Ontario, Atlantic, Alberta
  • Association for Conflict Resolution

Over 600 conflict management practitioners trained worldwide.

Start with a Conversation

Every engagement begins with a conversation.

A conversation with Blaine Donais. No pitch, no pressure. Just a conversation about what your organization is navigating and whether workplace fairness is the right framework to address it.

Contact Us

Unstoppable Performance Leaders Presents  |  Workplace Fairness International Delivers

The Donais Fairness Theory™, TIFFS®, Silent Conflict Theory™, the Workplace Culture Triangle™, and all related frameworks, tools, and methodologies referenced on this page are the intellectual property of Workplace Fairness International (WFI) and Blaine Donais, used by Unstoppable Performance Leaders under licence.

100% Woman-Owned · WBE Canada · IWSCC · CAMSC (in progress)

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