Civility Partners at 15 Years!

by Feb 14, 2024

2024 marks an incredible milestone for us—our 15th-anniversary celebration! Yes, you read that right—15 years of making a positive impact on over 270 organizations served, thousands of employees, and millions of people worldwide! Thanks to the vision of our founder and CEO, Catherine Mattice.

Our History

Catherine started Civility Partners in 2009 with one mission – building a community of thriving individuals, starting at the place they spend the majority of their time: the workplace.

In case you don’t know, her journey began as the HR director of an organization, where she personally witnessed the physical and psychological effects of a toxic work environment, both as a target and an HR representative.

She saw firsthand how costly toxic behavior is to individuals and organizations. While working there, she obtained her master’s degree from San Diego State University, and dove into the world of workplace bullying. 

She discovered a debilitating problem that needed to be solved and despite so many telling her not to build a company focused on solving that problem, she did it anyway. 

From the humble beginnings of working as a solopreneur in her apartment, she has grown Civility Partners into the team it is today and has helped organizations across the globe build positive workplace cultures.

Our Mission

Our mission is simple yet powerful: partnering with clients to cultivate positive workplace environments.  Over the past decade and a half, we’ve passionately shared this message on various platforms. From gracing the TEDx stage to being featured in news outlets and publications, we’ve seized every opportunity to spread the word.  It’s been an amazing ride connecting with diverse audiences and making waves in conversations about workplace culture.

 

Our Team

Our team members are more than just colleagues; they are contributors to the unique culture we’ve cultivated. Each person, with their skills, ideas, and dedication, has played a crucial role in shaping Civility Partners into what it is today. As we continue to grow and evolve, our team remains at the heart of our success. Their collective efforts drive us forward, and we’re excited about the future collaborations that will further shape our journey!

 

Our Achievements

We’re not just about talk; our actions have earned us recognition from different award platforms throughout the years.  It’s incredibly humbling to see our commitment to positive workplaces acknowledged and celebrated.  These awards are not just for us; they’re a testament to the collaborative efforts of our team and the positive impact we’ve made together.

 

A Gift to You

Whether you’ve been with us on this incredible journey or are just joining our community, thank you so much for believing in us!

As a token of our gratitude, we’re offering you exclusive content on the Culture Maturity Model, a guide detailing the stages organizations undergo to enhance their culture. And we’re making our course, From Bystander to Upstander, free for you!

Now, we’d love to hear from you. How have our content, resources, and webinars impacted you and your organization? Your feedback means the world to us, so please take a moment to share your thoughts here. Thank you for being a part of our story!

 

Written by: Jennifer Areola

Many organizations ignore employee engagement because it feels elusive and expensive. Rather than getting caught up in the fear and doing nothing, download our eBook on employee engagement, and get started.

 

Catherine

About Catherine Mattice

Catherine Mattice, MA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is the founder/CEO of Civility Partners, an organizational development firm focused on helping organizations create respectful workplace cultures and specializing in turning around toxic cultures. Civility Partners’ clients range from Fortune 500s to small businesses across many industries. Catherine is a TEDx speaker and an HR thought leader who has appeared in such venues as USA Today, Bloomberg, CNN, NPR, and many other national news outlets as an expert. She’s an award-winning speaker, author, and blogger and has 60+ courses reaching global audiences on LinkedIn Learning.  Her fourth book, Navigating Toxic Work Environments For Dummies (Wiley), is available in all major bookstores and where audiobooks are sold.

7 Questions to Answer Before Launching a Training Program

Organizations spend a staggering amount on training, yet the results often fall short.  In the United States alone, organizations invested $102.8 billion in training in 2025, up from $98 billion in 2024, yet research consistently shows that only 10–20% of training...

Is Your L&D Equipped to Support a Healthy Workplace?

Learning and Development (L&D) teams are drowning in activity. Leadership academies, compliance refreshers, microlearning libraries, LMS migrations, another platform, another rollout, another “strategic priority.” Motion is constant and it may be keeping your...

Culture Eats Your Policies for Breakfast

If I see or hear the quote, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” by Peter Drucker one more time, I might vomit. Everyone loves this phrase, but I’m convinced no one knows what it even means. If they did, Civility Partners would be out of a job. While I haven’t read...

Navigating a Toxic Workplace: Practical Strategies for Leaders, HR, and Employees

When toxic behavior - such as gossip, harsh sarcasm, incivility, rudeness, public shaming, serial interrupting, microaggressions, and unresolved conflict - is brushed off as personality differences or “not that bad” it normalizes the behavior. As leaders look the...

Start the Year on a Good Note (Literally): Your Workplace Playlist

Research consistently shows that music affects how our brains process emotion, connection, and stress. According to the American Psychological Association, music can reduce cortisol levels, helping lower stress and anxiety while improving emotional regulation. In...

Celebrating Your 2025 Wins!

Have you stopped to pause and appreciate everything you’ve accomplished this year? Were you able to make some strides on improving your culture? Did you finally get that one initiative approved that you’ve been working on for a while? Or maybe you finally finished out...

HR in 2025: A Year in Review

As 2025 comes to a close, it’s hard not to look back and notice just how much the world of HR has been in motion.  This year revealed an incredible amount of resilience, creativity, and heart across the profession. Many of you worked quietly behind the scenes,...

’Tis the Season for Boundaries: Protecting Your Time and Well-Being This Holiday Season

The holiday season is a time to rest, connect, and reflect. But for many employees, it can also feel overwhelming.  Work seems to speed up instead of slow down thanks to the “vacation tax” that comes with time off. Projects pile up, deadlines tighten, and expectations...

A Year of Appreciation: What We’re Grateful For at Civility Partners

As we approach the holiday season, our team at Civility Partners is taking a moment to pause, breathe, and reflect on what we’re most grateful for.  Our mission has always been clear: to partner with our clients to help them create a positive workplace environment....

Civility Partners vs. Korn Ferry & EY: What Sets Us Apart

Recently I was asked the question on a podcast: “What do people get when they work with Civility Partners? My answer: “You’ll get direct, honest and empathetic information. We care very much about our mission to create work environments across the globe where people...