This article is set before Oct. 2017, before the downfall of Harvey Weinstein.
Jun. 3, 2017 "How to deal with sexual harassment at work": Today I found this article by Jessica Leeder in the Globe and Mail:
A barrage of harassment and discrimination lawsuits filed recently in United States courts have put Fox News in the headlines rather than behind them.
The embattled company is struggling to right itself: star anchor Bill O’Reilly has been ousted and millions in settlement fees paid to victims who accused him of sexual harassment and verbal abuse.
The embattled company is struggling to right itself: star anchor Bill O’Reilly has been ousted and millions in settlement fees paid to victims who accused him of sexual harassment and verbal abuse.
Whether you’re an employer or employee, there is much to be learned from the drama playing out at Fox. We’ve consulted experts in labour, employment law and human resources for their best advice on how to avoid a sexual-harassment disaster in your workplace.
1. DON’T assume your company doesn’t have a problem
Maybe you’ve been reading the Fox headlines and breathing sighs of relief at the contrast with your own company, however large or small, where allegations of sexual harassment have never seen the light of day.
That doesn’t mean it isn’t happening, said Janice Rubin, a Toronto employment lawyer who conducted an investigation into the workplace conduct of former CBC broadcaster Jian Ghomeshi.
“Don’t assume that you don’t have a problem because nobody has made a complaint,” Rubin said. “Just because you’re not hearing about it doesn’t mean it’s not happening.” There is data to back up her claim: more than one-quarter of Canadians told pollsters for the Angus Reid Institute they had experienced unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours or sexually-charged talk while on the job, according to a 2014 poll.
Women, the poll found, are four times more likely than men to be harassed at work. But the majority of Canadians – four out of five – said they had never reported the incident at work.
“If you, as a leader, are assuming that all is well because people haven’t come forward, that’s just wrong,” Rubin said. “You have to assume it is going on and people are not coming forward.”
2. DO make time for water-cooler talk
When work gets busy, it can be hard to justify time spent lingering over office coffee with employees or co-workers. But you should set aside the time and consider it an investment, said Antoinette Blunt, president of Ironside Consulting Services, a Northern Ontario human resources consultancy that specializes in workplace harassment investigations.
“You need to be touching base with your employees – ask them how things are going, be observant of people and cues that something’s not great,” Blunt said. She encourages clients to ensure they make time for informal, desk-side chatter with employees in addition to more formal sit-downs, such as annual reviews.
The result is a solid relationship and good communication lines that will prove helpful – and could lead to a speedier resolution – if a problem does arise. “If you don’t have that real trusting relationship with your manager, employees aren’t going to come forward when they initially have an issue or concern,” Blunt said. “Remembering to engage with people is important.”
“You need to be touching base with your employees – ask them how things are going, be observant of people and cues that something’s not great,” Blunt said. She encourages clients to ensure they make time for informal, desk-side chatter with employees in addition to more formal sit-downs, such as annual reviews.
The result is a solid relationship and good communication lines that will prove helpful – and could lead to a speedier resolution – if a problem does arise. “If you don’t have that real trusting relationship with your manager, employees aren’t going to come forward when they initially have an issue or concern,” Blunt said. “Remembering to engage with people is important.”
3. DON’T choose profit over people
Companies that get themselves in trouble for not effectively dealing with harassment allegations tend to value profit – and the potential losses associated with nixing a top performer – over people who are victimized. “Looking at one over the other is a big no-no,” said Michelle Henry, a partner at the law firm Borden Ladner Gervais in Toronto.
“Companies that do that tend to get themselves in trouble. They are not realizing the impact of harassment, whether it is sexual or otherwise, on employees, their mental health, productivity and ultimately the bottom line,” she said.
The long-term impact of bad math on this is extremely harmful, Rubin said. “The big institutional problems that we’re looking at, whether it’s Fox News, the RCMP or other organizations that are struggling with this is they find out about this stuff and they don’t do anything,” she said.
“Companies that do that tend to get themselves in trouble. They are not realizing the impact of harassment, whether it is sexual or otherwise, on employees, their mental health, productivity and ultimately the bottom line,” she said.
The long-term impact of bad math on this is extremely harmful, Rubin said. “The big institutional problems that we’re looking at, whether it’s Fox News, the RCMP or other organizations that are struggling with this is they find out about this stuff and they don’t do anything,” she said.
4. DO make it easy for people to bring forward a complaint
In addition to having an intake system for complaints and a process for investigating them, good leaders will make sure employees know how to access it. That may even include an anonymous tip line.
“Make it very clear to employees where they go and who they should talk to,” Rubin said, adding: “Make it clear what types of behaviour will trigger an investigation. Report back to employees at the conclusion of an investigation.”
While larger companies tend to have HR departments with harassment-related policies, smaller companies may need to work harder to ensure people understand the process and procedure for dealing with complaints. “No matter what the size of the company, it’s important to have dialogue around this,” Henry said. “It helps make clear that it is important to you as a company.”
“Make it very clear to employees where they go and who they should talk to,” Rubin said, adding: “Make it clear what types of behaviour will trigger an investigation. Report back to employees at the conclusion of an investigation.”
While larger companies tend to have HR departments with harassment-related policies, smaller companies may need to work harder to ensure people understand the process and procedure for dealing with complaints. “No matter what the size of the company, it’s important to have dialogue around this,” Henry said. “It helps make clear that it is important to you as a company.”
5. DON’T impulse post (on the Internet, that is)
Dashing off a quick tweet or Facebook post to vent frustration may seem innocuous at the time, but not only does the Internet never forget, it is usually quick to punish. “Things that are put on social media – on Facebook, on Twitter – are often the most damaging pieces of evidence related to bullying and harassment,” Blunt said.
“People write things and hit send. Two minutes later when the anger goes down … they are regretful. Well, you’ve already done it. You’ve created a level of damage that, prior to the world of social media, just didn’t happen.”
“People write things and hit send. Two minutes later when the anger goes down … they are regretful. Well, you’ve already done it. You’ve created a level of damage that, prior to the world of social media, just didn’t happen.”
6. DO keep your hands to yourself
It’s advice that your mother likely gave you before you were old enough to remember, but in the context of workplace sexual harassment it is one of the most important things to remember, Blunt said. She recommends extending the policy to include staying out of others’ personal space altogether.
“Don’t lean over someone with your hand on their shoulder to show them something on their computer screen. That makes a person feel very vulnerable,” she said, adding: “We don’t often think about our body proximity to other people. It could make someone very uncomfortable.”
Being aware of behaviours that can intimidate, she said, is proactive. Above all, leaders must also walk the walk. “It is critical that people understand how you want everyone to behave, and you have to behave in that manner,” Blunt said. “You have to hold everybody accountable to that.”
“Don’t lean over someone with your hand on their shoulder to show them something on their computer screen. That makes a person feel very vulnerable,” she said, adding: “We don’t often think about our body proximity to other people. It could make someone very uncomfortable.”
Being aware of behaviours that can intimidate, she said, is proactive. Above all, leaders must also walk the walk. “It is critical that people understand how you want everyone to behave, and you have to behave in that manner,” Blunt said. “You have to hold everybody accountable to that.”
duali
1 day ago
NUMBER ONE RULE:
Don't ignore complaints and sweep them under the rug.
RULE NUMBER TWO:
Don't enable people who are sweeping everything under the rug.
RULE NUMBER THREE:
Get ready for big problems if you do the above. BIG.
1 Reaction
On-Line Reader
24 hours ago
Jessica Leeder
Global food reporter
Com Cruise
22 hours ago
In 2017 we have digressed to a situation where we need to have separate offices for men and women.
-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxpVwBzFAkw
duali
3 hours ago
Regressed. Not digressed. The meanings are completely different.
"Pizza so good, it's criminal": Today I found this article by Don Babwin in the Edmonton Journal:
CHICAGO—How can you get a gourmet Italian pizza delivered right to your door for no more than $7? Get locked up at Cook County Jail in Chicago.
Inmates in the jail’s medium-security Division 11 can now order pizzas made with the finest ingredients in the kind of ovens found in pizzerias. It’s all part of Sheriff Tom Dart’s ongoing effort to make jail a bit more humane while providing inmates skills that might help keep them from returning once they’re set free.
Pizzas have been served and prepared behind bars before. A few institutions allow inmates to order from nearby restaurants. At one Massachusetts jail, inmates make pizzas that guards can buy and take home and heat themselves.
But it’s safe to say Dart is the first jail administrator to bring into his facility an Italian chef to oversee an operation in which inmates bake a couple hundred pizzas a week in a $16,000 oven and deliver them piping hot to the cells of captive customers.
“We’re teaching skills to make them more marketable when they get out of here,” Dart said.
At the same time, by giving inmates a break from the bland jail food, he’s employing what experts say is an effective tactic to keep inmates in line.
“If any detainee assaults staff or engages in misconduct they’re moved out of that division, and they’re not able to purchase the pizzas,” said Cara Smith, the department’s chief policy officer. “So it’s an incentive to behave.”
Other programs Dart has introduced include using chess to teach inmates about problem-solving and patience, and sending inmates from the jail’s boot camp to tear down abandoned buildings.
The pizza delivery service is an outgrowth of a program called “Recipe for Change” that’s run by Bruno Abate, a chef and owner of trendy Chicago restaurant Tocco , that teaches inmates about cooking and nutrition. Abate said there’s no overstating the effect gourmet pizza has in a place where the drab food only reminds inmates of where — and what — they are.
“This is treating people with dignity and respect as a human and not (an) animal,” he said.
The pizza also might be the best food some of the desperately poor inmates have ever eaten.
“How many of them even get to go to a decent restaurant?” asked Ron Gidiwtz, a prominent Republican fundraiser who donated money to buy the oven and raised the rest.
When the inmates bring the pizzas to the cells, the effect, inmates say, is immediate.
“Their eyes light up like it’s Christmas,” said Jonathan Scott, whose nametag reads “Chef Jonathan,” as he waits for trial on an armed robbery charge.
Dart said he decided to sell the pizzas to raise money for the program. Initially, he planned to have the inmates sell them to correctional officers. But the jailers weren’t interested in buying food prepared by inmates who might take the opportunity to add something to the recipe.
Dart said they also groused that inmates were being coddled. So the sheriff decided to give the inmates, who can already use their own money to buy things like chips, a chance to purchase pizzas.
Dart now hopes he can get his hands on a food truck and sell his pizza outside the jail and nearby courthouse, where good food is hard to find.
Gidwitz is game to raise money for the truck, too. But he wonders why Dart would stop there.
“Maybe,” he said, “you could get trustees to sit right outside the jail and sell pizzas from there.”
My opinion: This is a positive article about inmates cooking and serving food, and other people enjoying the food.
Jun. 17, 2020: This is an old blog post I wrote from Apr. 11, 2011. I put time and effort into writing this, like back in the days of 2008- Aug. 2014.
If I do say so myself, this was one of the strong and well-written posts:
There are 498 pageviews.
saying/ sexual harassment/ rape
http://badcb.blogspot.com/2011/04/saying-sexual-harassment-rape.html
This is a blog post that I published 2 days later, and there are 57 pageviews. This is like the Part 2 of the same topic when I mentioned The View in the above "saying/ sexual harassment/ rape" post:
writing/ The View/ friends
https://badcb.blogspot.com/2011/04/writing-rants-friends.html
I mentioned the pageviews because I'm sure some of you guys are like:
"The longer a post is up on blog or website, there is going to be more people reading it."
Well this is proof that even if something has been on for a long time, some people don't read it.
This week's theme is sexual harassment in the workplace (and the articles prior to the downfall of Harvey Weinstein.)
"Harassment and the C-suite"/ "Fostering work sponsors post- Weinstein"
http://badcb.blogspot.com/2020/06/harassment-and-c-suite-fostering-work.html
"The real cost of sexual-harassment claims"/ "U.S. poll shows fear of opposite sex at work"
http://badcb.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-real-cost-of-sexual-harassment.html
"'Signal for help' campaign aims to assist abuse victims in quarantine":
Despite more people relying on social media, text messages and video calls to stay in touch, quarantine provides ample opportunity for abusers to carefully monitor women’s digital devices and conversations.
In April, the CWF launched a new campaign called “Signal For Help” to provide victims of abuse to non-verbally communicate to family and friends that they are unsafe and in need of assistance, without leaving a digital trace.
In an instructional video, the CWF instructs anyone who receives a signal for help from a friend or loved one not to react. Changing the conversation to address the signal can put your loved one at further risk, instead, remain calm and carry on the conversation as best as you can.
How can you help if you receive the signal?
If you received a signal, the CWF advises you to try reaching out in a manner deemed “safe.” Phoning the person who signalled for help and asking “yes” or “no” questions like, “Would you like me to call 911?,” “Do you need me to call a shelter?” or “Do you want me to look into services to help you?” are ways to intervene without putting your loved one in further danger.
https://ca.style.yahoo.com/signal-for-help-campaign-231436626.html
My opinion: I thought this was a good article because it helps people in need. However, I read some comments about how their men who are abused and no one really addresses that.
People creating their own YouTube channel: My friend Heather who I have known since elementary school created a video for yoga. I then see one of my supervisors Ai created a makeup video tutorial. I already put up videos of my dancing, so I get people to contact me so I can teach dancing. So far no one contacted me.
Here is Heather's video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAqfiDUmVzg&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR31HUPIj2J_Efs4T7UsVC1LqsdMY92qwS6RZbMiXVRB7xnipCfVS93QR3Y
Here are my dancing videos:
http://badcb.blogspot.com/2019/12/tracys-hip-hop-dancing-videos.html
Tues. Jun. 16, 2020 ELEN - Edmonton Lesbian Event Network: My friend Tamara created this organization and I saw this on her Facebook status update:
So I guess when your org gets an interview request from the New York Times....you kind of know you've made it? Ack!!!
https://www.facebook.com/ELENyeg/?hc_location=ufi
My opinion: I "liked" the status update.
Accessories store job interview: Today I attended a job interview over in the west end. I was kind of "eh" with it as in I wasn't that interested. I had attended interviews at their 2 other locations before. I went there because:
1. I will always wonder "What if?" You never know until you try.
2. The job was casual and PT. I can work there.
3. I can't predict or control the future. I predict that Restaurant #2 will hire me PT when fall comes. The summer time is quiet.
4. I can always work there and quit. It's not a big deal.
The interview was average.
My webcam: The webcam on my computer doesn't work. I did a Zoom job interview in Apr. for this work from home job. The interviewer couldn't see me, but we were able to talk and hear each other.
I attended other Zoom meetings with friends, and I can see them, but they can't see me.
Wed. Jun. 17, 2020
"Federal Tories promise to bring back public transit tax credit":
The Liberal government eliminated the credit in 2017
The Conservative Party of Canada is promising to re-introduce a public transit tax credit, a benefit that the Liberal government eliminated two years ago, should it form the next federal government.
The Green Public Transit Tax Credit would provide 15% tax credit on public transit expenses, including for monthly passes, as well as weekly passes and electronic fare cards that are used for extended periods of time. Eligible passes must allow for unlimited travel within Canada on buses, streetcars, subways, commuter trains and buses, and local ferries.
My opinion: Yesterday I was talking to my brother about filing for taxes with bus passes and receipts for them. I have been putting them in a small envelope, and when Apr. comes, I put that in a big manila envelope with my T4s and investment papers.
P: I thought they stopped doing that.
HR Block says bus passes are tax deductible:
https://help.hrblockonline.ca/hc/en-ca/articles/227743347-Public-transit-passes
Fri. Jun. 19, 2020: I asked my dad about this like "Did the accountant say anything about bus passes being tax deductible or not?" There was no word on that.
Journal prompts: I am creating a blog post with these:
Jun. 13, 2020 Britta Aragon: What are you denying and tolerating for too long?
Jun. 16, 2020 Brandon Burho/ 4C Your Future: When you think you have all the answers, it's time to change the questions.
What new questions do you get to ask yourself today to create new results?
What is one thing your intuition has guided you to do that was a game changer for you?
What new questions do you get to ask yourself today to create new results?
What is one thing your intuition has guided you to do that was a game changer for you?
Sat. Jun. 2020: I was listening to this business coach Shanda Stumper from Heartcore Business and she asked this:
Where will you be in 5 years from now if everything keeps unfolding the same way?
This is a big question that is worth thinking about! Today, I am 5 years from the day that I asked myself that question and I am thankful that I did!
This also reminds me of this question when I was listening to those self- development summits:
Is this getting you closer or further away from your goals?
Money TV shows: I used to watch like 'til Debt do Us Part and Princess where the finance expert Gail Vaz- Oxlade helps a couple or a single woman with their finances.
Gail: If you keep spending $5000 a month when you make $4000 a month, you will be over $100, 000 in debt 5 yrs from now.
Gail: If you keep spending $5000 a month when you make $4000 a month, you will be over $100, 000 in debt 5 yrs from now.
These questions are good and applicable from money, career, health and fitness, etc.
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