Protecting against sexual harassment

Your organization will generally have sexual harassment prevention guidelines, a code of conduct, and regular training on the subject to make everyone aware.
There will also be reporting mechanisms that you learn about during your onboarding as well as regularly during routine training.

You can take measures to protect yourself and your colleagues from being a victim of sexual harassment by following your organization's code of conduct, reporting instances of sexual harassment, and asking for advice in situations that might be tricky to navigate on your own.

Some of the key steps to preventing sexual harassment, or becoming the harasser, is understanding its nuances. Instead of trying to determine what is appropriate for each coworker individually, it’s more responsible to treat everyone around you in a professional way.

Just remember, if a joke or gesture seems harmless to you, it might not be that harmless to others, and they might feel very uncomfortable. You can also remind your colleagues who are spreading an inappropriate joke around, that this behavior is offensive to others in the workplace.

Often, your organization will recommend that you talk about this with your manager. However, if your manager is the perpetrator, you can always approach HR, or someone higher up in the organization, including the CEO. You will also be able to report any incident anonymously.

If you see one of your colleagues getting harassed, it’s a good idea to talk with them and encourage them to report the issue so that this situation can be dealt with appropriately.

Remember, victims of sexual harassment will often feel guilty, unsure of what to do, or afraid of the repercussions. Support from you can help them gather the courage to report the issue, which can then be looked into and the perpetrator disciplined. You can contact the authorities or NGOs dealing with these issues, if you or someone around you falls victim to sexual harassment and no actions are taken after you complain to the organization.

Thank you for watching and stay safe!