Business Resources: Community Agreements

by Talia Young

At our summer 2025 retreat, we worked with a facilitator to develop community agreements for Fishadelphia. We’ve struggled a little with the ambiguous role of our community agreements: what exactly are they? They’re not rules, and they’re not intended to be punitive. What do we do with them? 

We want these community agreements to be guiding statements for the kind of workplace we want to build with each other. We’re still working on figuring out how exactly we want to use them: sometimes we talk about them in group or 1:1 meetings. Sometimes we think about them while we’re working. We could probably do more with them and we’ll do some experimenting and see how it goes.  

Every workplace is different, but most workplaces have some kind of vision of how they want to work; community agreements are a way of capturing, articulating, and sharing that vision with everyone.  

1. Come As You Are, Keep Growing

We show up honestly with where we’re at and trust others to meet us with understanding. We give each other grace to make mistakes and commit to learning.

2. Ask and Name with Care

If something feels unclear or off, we ask questions with curiosity. We also name what we need and honor others when they do the same.

3. Honor and Navigate Our Differences

We bring different styles, needs, and relationships to this work – and navigate them with honesty, respect, and care.

4. Communicate and Be Accountable

We build trust by following through, communicating directly, and circling back. We name tension and seek repair instead of avoidance.

5. Reflect and Take Action

We balance care for one another with care for the work — pausing when needed, but also seeking solutions that help us move forward.

6. Celebrate and Rest

We acknowledge wins, take breaks, and stay grounded in why we do this work—together.