In March 2025, Julie and Heather from the CSIA Ombuds Office conducted a training session on making fair decisions with CSIA staff and volunteers who may be part of future complaints handling processes.
Why does this matter to members? In your professional and personal lives, you make decisions every day. By following some general fairness principles, you can ensure that your decisions are more likely to be seen as fair, and those affected by your decisions are more likely to accept them.
- Review information with an open mind. This means avoiding jumping to conclusions because “I’ve heard this before.” Speak up if you aren’t the right person to decide. Being negatively or positively predisposed toward a person or a particular outcome is unfair.
- Make sure you understand the context. For example, if you are reviewing feedback or a complaint, it is important to understand what policies or processes might apply to the situation. As part of your review, make sure everyone else involved (i.e., the person who provided the feedback or made the complaint) is on the “same page” about the applicable policies and processes.
- Ask questions to gather additional information and clarify. Make sure to listen to and carefully review the answers. Anyone who is impacted by your decision should have an opportunity to participate and share their views as part of the decision-making process.
- Be kind, thorough, and objective. When talking about the same situation, consider that people may have different perspectives from you and each other.
- Be timely and explain your decisions. As a rule of thumb, be brief, accurate, and kind.
Remember that fairness is not just about being fair; it is about being seen by others as being fair. We hope this helps you in your decision making.