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Sometimes I feel that people misunderstand what the Culture of Respect is about.  

When we first launched this effort, we wanted EVERY person in our industry to see the importance of this work and how it would benefit them. But we haven’t always been successful in doing this. That said, in 2025, we commit to doing a better job at communicating about the work. And to kick things off, below are 10 things everyone should know about the Culture of Respect.   

WHAT IS THE CULTURE OF RESPECT (FORMERLY BE4ALL, BELONGING AND EXCELLENCE FOR ALL)?

1. Culture of Respect is a joint effort between �鶹���, SMART and the ITI.  
2. Our goal is an industry where people support one another; an industry where we say to members and co-workers: “I got your back!”
3. It supports workers and contractors in striving for the highest standards of performance and professionalism in their technical skills and crafts. Our work is about recruiting and retaining the best talent and is not about lowering standards.  

WHY IS CULTURE OF RESPECT IMPORTANT?

THE HUMAN CASE

1. Culture of Respect is about being a good person and lifting people up — no matter who they are.
2. It is an opportunity to get to know people as people and recognize that having an open mind toward others will lead to better relationships. 
3. It is about kindness, respect and treating others with dignity. 
4. It is about unlearning the biases we all have. It’s about opening the door to new and valuable connections and building relationships in the workplace that go beyond race, gender, geography, political orientation, etc.  

BUSINESS/ECONOMIC CASE

1. Culture of Respect is helping us create a workplace culture that will attract the best talent to our industry. We want to recruit excellent candidates to our industry and make them feel like they belong by creating a respectful workplace.
2. This is about math. If we want to solve workforce issues and attract future customers, we need to recruit and retain more workers. We can’t afford to exclude certain groups. We need every talented and qualified individual in the United States and Canada. 
3. Winning formula: Hire the best of the best + diversity = greater profits. Issues such as high employee turnover, interpersonal conflict and low morale result in reduced productivity and financial losses.

As Gary Myers, Vice President of Marketing and Business at Intech Mechanical, Roseville, California, says: "When I heard about our JATC rolling out the Bias and Belonging training, I was very skeptical. I am so glad I pushed through my skepticism and attended the training. I was able to see how well this training aligns with Intech Mechanicals Core Values.

At the end of the day, it comes down to being a good human being, treating people how they want to be treated and doing the right thing …”  

For more information on this initiative and for Culture of Respect Toolbox Talks, visit www.smacna.org.