Safer Spaces Training for Holiday Service

Your holiday checklist needs a plan for the people in the room

You’re preparing menus, bookings and staffing. Prepare your team for the moments when someone crosses a boundary, too.

A practical two-hour workshop for bars and restaurants, giving staff and managers shared language, clear expectations and a safer approach to difficult situations during service.

Book your team’s training — email hello@affirmculture.ca with your venue, team size and preferred dates.

When the room gets busy, your team needs support

The work party where a colleague makes sexual comments. The guest mocking a server’s accent. The regular who won’t stop touching your bartender. The person who quietly asks for help.

Holiday service can bring bigger groups, unfamiliar guests, workplace power dynamics and people drinking outside their usual routines. Your team needs to know what to say, when to get help and who will take responsibility for the next step.

Safer Spaces training makes that preparation part of your service standard.

What your team will practise

Recognize concerning behaviour

Identify discriminatory remarks, unwanted attention, harassment, intimidation and escalating conduct. Focus on what someone says or does rather than assumptions about identity, appearance, disability or communication style.

Set clear boundaries

Use practical language to interrupt harmful behaviour and communicate expectations without getting pulled into an argument.

De-escalate and get support

Create space, choose a safe intervention and know when to hand over to a manager or designated support person.

Respond to reports of harm

Listen with care, offer practical choices and understand the limits of your role when someone reports harassment or discloses sexual assault.

Understand consent and alcohol

Explore consent, personal boundaries and how alcohol can affect a person’s ability to understand and choose. Practise responding to observed concerns without attempting to investigate or make a legal determination.

Follow through

Clarify reporting routes, documentation and management responsibility so the response continues after the immediate interaction.

Clear expectations for guests and staff

The workshop addresses racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, sexual harassment, unwanted touching, intimidation, threats and other disruptive or unwanted behaviour.

We look at interactions between guests, between coworkers and between guests and staff. That includes situations involving managers, owners, regulars and big spenders.

Your team should know that the same expectations apply regardless of someone’s role, familiarity or spending power.

Grounded in the Five Pillars of Affirming Hospitality

Safety: Know where to find support and how to respond when someone needs help.

Representation: Consider whose experiences and needs shape the way your venue operates.

Communication: Give people clear language for expectations, boundaries and support.

Accountability: Assign responsibility and follow through consistently.

Adaptability: Learn from feedback and adjust practices when something isn’t working.

Queer and trans inclusion is woven throughout the training, alongside attention to race, gender, disability, access needs and power dynamics.

What is included

• One facilitated two-hour team workshop, including a short break.
• Practical discussion and realistic holiday service scenarios.
• First-response language and opportunities to practise.
• A one-page staff reference to keep near the bar, POS or staff area.
• A management action plan identifying priorities, owners and next steps.

Each venue completes its response contacts and reporting details before posting the reference. Staff leave with a clearer first response; management leaves with responsibilities to put into practice.

Who it is for

Bartenders, servers, hosts, support staff, supervisors, managers and owners. The workshop works best when frontline staff and management participate together, so the people responding during service and the people authorizing the next steps share the same expectations.

Led by someone who understands service

Meaghan Murray (they/them) is the founder of Affirm Culture Co. and a queer, non-binary hospitality leader with more than 20 years of experience across restaurants, hotels, events and community spaces.

Their approach connects inclusion with the practical realities of leading a team, serving a busy room and responding when good intentions need a clear process behind them.

Questions before booking

Is this only about queer and trans inclusion?

No. Queer and trans inclusion is part of a broader workshop addressing discrimination, harassment, boundaries and unwanted behaviour involving both guests and staff.

Does everyone have to share personal experiences?

No. We use fictional or anonymized scenarios. Participants can speak, write, observe or pass, without disclosing their identity or personal experiences of harm.

Does this include certification?

This workshop is a team training session. Individual and Manager/Trainer Certification are separate learning pathways through Affirm Culture Co.

Can you also help with policies?

Yes. Hiring, onboarding, codes of conduct, incident response procedures and manager support can be scoped separately. They are not included in the $500 workshop fee.

Does the training replace our existing procedures?

The workshop supports your team’s response skills. Your venue still needs clear conduct expectations, reporting routes and emergency procedures. It does not replace responsible alcohol service training, workplace investigations or specialist security and crisis response training.

How do we arrange a session?

Email your venue name, location, team size, preferred dates and any priorities or accessibility needs. We’ll confirm delivery arrangements, availability and the agreed scope before booking.

Get your team ready before the holiday rush

Make Safer Spaces training part of your holiday preparation.

Two hours | $500 CAD per team session

Book your team’s training: hello@affirmculture.ca

Tell us your venue, team size and preferred dates, and we’ll discuss the next step.

Affirm Culture Co. — Culture | Care | Connection