We help organizations build sanctuary spaces at work, too.
Sanctuary involves examining the ways we protect, affirm, and lead people… plus the ways we engage in our communities.
Here’s a checklist of some considerations to examine:
- Policies That Protect
✅ Clear Non-Discrimination Policy
Explicitly names gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability (including neurodivergence), race, ethnicity, immigration status, and more.
✅ Zero Tolerance for Harassment
Includes microaggressions, slurs, misgendering, ableist comments, and retaliation.
✅ Sanctuary Employment Practices
Does not cooperate with ICE or other agencies targeting immigration status without a warrant.
✅ Inclusive Healthcare Benefits
Covers gender-affirming care, mental health, disability supports, and reproductive care.
✅ Accommodations Policy
Offers easy access to disability accommodations without excessive documentation or delay.
- Practices That Affirm
✅ Chosen Names & Pronouns
Used consistently in all internal and external systems (badges, emails, payroll, etc.).
✅ Language Justice
Multilingual access to materials and meetings, including ASL and translation for key languages spoken by staff.
✅ Restorative Accountability
Has processes for harm repair, not just punishment—centering the impacted person(s).
✅ Culturally Relevant Holidays & Flexibility
Allows observance of religious, cultural, and resistance holidays (e.g., Juneteenth, Trans Day of Remembrance).
✅ Gender-Neutral Facilities
Restrooms and dress codes that affirm all genders and bodies.
- Leadership & Structure
✅ Representative Leadership
Black, brown, queer, trans, immigrant, and disabled people hold meaningful decision-making power.
✅ Equity-Centered HR & Hiring
Values lived experience and community accountability over elite credentials.
✅ Pay Transparency & Equity
Clear salary bands, regular audits for race/gender gaps, and accessible pathways for raises.
✅ Worker Power & Voice
Supports unionization, worker cooperatives, or participatory governance structures.
- Culture That Heals
✅ Trauma-Informed Practices
Normalizes mental health days, healing spaces, and de-escalation strategies.
✅ Community Agreements
Workplace norms that support consent, collective care, and calling in rather than calling out.
✅ Training & Political Education
Ongoing sessions on ableism, anti-Blackness, transphobia, settler colonialism, etc.—not just once-a-year checkboxes.
✅ Conflict as Growth
Treats conflict as inevitable and invests in conflict navigation rooted in trust and equity.
- Solidarity Beyond the Workplace
✅ Emergency Funds & Mutual Aid
Funds to support staff through crises (e.g., housing insecurity, immigration proceedings, transition care).
✅ Community Defense
Policies or coalitions to support trans sanctuary laws, local organizing, and defense against hate groups.
✅ Environmental & Economic Justice
Aligns sourcing, vendors, and investments with broader justice commitments.
We’d love to help you build your sanctuary – get in touch to find out how we can help!