Tips For Dealing With Workplace Harassment, Even When You Dont Know If A Line Has Been Crossed

Tips For Dealing With Workplace Harassment, Even When You Dont Know If A Line Has Been Crossed This presidential election has brought the harsh reality of sexual harassment in the workplace to the forefront of the news cycle. At PowerToFly were a company on a mission to increase employment opportunities for women with businesses that practice diversity and inclusion. So were glad this conversation is happening across our social feeds, amongst our friends and on our favorite news shows. In the belastung few weeks, millions of women have come forward with stories about harassment at the office, on the street and in their own homes.Of the 100,000 women on the PowerToFly platform, we can estimate that 33,000 to 50,000 of them have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace, based on two surveys we conducted from 2015 and 2016, respectively. A separate survey by the Guardian estimates that only 25% of women experiencing sexual harassment have reported their harassers.One thing we talk about at PowerToFly is where do you draw the line? Over the last few weeks politicians, our friends, our family members have all had different opinions on what constitutes as language condoning sexual assault. And thats a major problem with sexual harassment in the workplace. Women often rationalize that a line might not have been crossed not because the line welchesnt crossed, but because theyre wary of reporting cases that society has dismissed time and time again. Overt sexual harassment is clear, but its the comment you might get once a month from a coworker about your outfit or feedback in a meeting that starts to make you realize youre being discriminated against because of your sex.What Do WeDo?The first step to pushing back at work is awareness. PowerToFlys Cofounder and President, Katharine Zaleski recently told Forbes.comOne of the things that women struggle with most at work is that they dont have other people recognizing whats happened to them. Your babo says something very creepy to you and you look around the room and everybody pretends it never happened. That was what was happening in the Donald Trump situation but now you have millions of women who are coming out and saying Hey, were pretty sure this happened but the reason were pretty sure this happened is because it happened to us. Thats whats happening here.Katharine recently discussed the importance of being aware for your colleagues while interviewing Maxine Williams, the Head of Global Diversity at Facebook. Maxine talked about how every Monday she meets with new Facebook hires to teach them how transparency and awareness is the first step to building an inclusive environment where pervasive issues like sexual harassment can be tackled immediately. Maxine also discussed how people find allies at Facebook individually or through circles which she says are groups of pairs supporting each other. Watch in minute fourteen to hear the discussion.OK, But Im Not At FacebookOr A BigCompanyWeve wo rked in startups and know what its like to not have an HR department. We also know of situations where your harasser is your boss. Here are some tipsIf you can safely confront the harasserTell them to stop. Tell them what theyre doing is harassment and making you feel uncomfortable. Do it in front of other people if that makes you feel mora comfortable.We know this is an incredibly difficult conversation to have, and being confrontational about this kind of inappropriate behavior is as scary as the harassment. Again, if you feel safe doing so, here is some language you can useIt makes me uncomfortable when you discuss my appearance. Please stop making these kinds of comments.Your comments about my sex life are inappropriate and unprofessional. This is not up for discussion, so stop raising it.If you feel unsafe, and physically or verbally underthreatGo to the police immediately. You can file a police report, and even request a temporary restraining order.Language you could useIm bei ng harassed by a coworker and feel unsafe. I want to file a police report and learn about options to keep me safe from their behavior.If you do have an HR departmentReport it immediately. Bring documentation of any kind??emails, eyewitnesses, dates and times of specific incidents.Language you could useCoworker has made me feel uncomfortable and unsafe working here with their behavior and actions towards me. I want to report the harassment Ive been subjected to by them.If you dont have an HR departmentTell your supervisor (if they are not your harasser), the CEO, anyone in a position of power. Tell a trusted coworker and ask them to come with you when you report it. Whoever makes key decisions in the company is a good point of contact to make a complaint.Language you could useBecause we dont have an HR department, I want to report to you that Im being harassed by coworker and I feel uncomfortable and unsafe working with him/her. I need your help as well as the companys.If your harass er is yourbossTell their boss (if there is one). Tell anyone in a position of power at the company??even a subordinate to a boss can have a position of power within the framework of a company.Language you could useBecause boss is my boss, Im reporting his/her harassment of me to you. I need your help navigating next steps and how to report them.If you have to continue working with your harasserTell them (if you feel you safely can) you will only discuss work matters with them. Ask HR what safety and comfort measures they can put in place for you. If you dont have HR, ask a trusted coworker if they can be your safety contact and accompany you when you need to interact with your harasser. This is the harsh reality of working with a harasser often times, women will need to continue working with them for a variety of reasons.Language you could useTo HR Because this investigation is ongoing and we are both working here, I need measures put in place to ensure my safety. Can you move their work station/can they be taken off this shared project/other specific request? How is company prepared to help me feel safe here while we are both still working here every day?To trusted coworker Ive filed a harassment complaint about harasser, but we are both working here while the incidents are being reviewed. Can you be my safety contact and help me so I dont have to interact with with harasser?To harasser While we are still working alongside each other, I must insist any contact we have be solely about work.We hope this helps and were always available at PowerToFly to hear about your experiences and to give feedback. Weve dedicated ourselves to placing women with supportive, inclusive companies and hope you can also share whether youre currently at an organization that exhibits that. We like positive stories we can all learn fromAt PowerToFly we look for businesses that have women in senior management whose parental leave policies provide a realistic timeline for welcoming a wo man back to work where hiring managers have written their own inclusion policies and include them in their job descriptions where sexual harassment policies are in place, stringent, and taken seriously. We place our community members in positions where there is a system of support, a visible career trajectory to upper management, and where being a woman doesnt make them feel like the other. Your career is a huge part of your life and your life is a huge part of your career. You deserve to be in an environment where you never have to question if a line is being crossed.WRITTEN BY LEXI KENT-MONNINGAdditional reporting by Marie Elizabeth Oliver and Katharine Zaleski One of the biggest challenges in almost all industries today is achieving gender parity. Gender diversity provides huge benefits in the workplace. pWhile some industries have made significant advancements in gender diversity, some industries lag further behind... and the construc tion industry is well-known for being in the latter category. If someone says, construction workers, youll likely picture a group of men in yellow hard hats analyzing an architects plans or laying bricks on top of a scaffold. And men at work signs only help to reinforce this image.pThis stereotype is rooted in reality. When was the last time you actually spotted a woman on a construction site? Or hired a female plumber or carpenter? Your answer is most likely never. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statisticsreports that only 3.4% of the total of 8.3 million construction employees are women.pBut the construction industry has a lot more to offer than steel-toed boots and hard hats, and it needs women to help advance the industry in this era of rapid change. Here are 5 reasons why women joining the workforce or looking to make a pivot should consider a career in construction.h21. Fuel Innovation/h2pNot only is diversity the socially and morally right thing to do, but it is also actually a n excellent business strategy. pResearch presented in the Harvard Business Reviewshows that diverse teams develop more innovative ideas. This is further supported by a study conducted by Gallupon the performance of gender-diverse teams versus single-gender teams, which found that the difference in backgrounds and perspectives led to better business performance and problem-solving. h22. Capitalize on Demand/h2pThe construction industry is currently experiencing a labor shortage. The industry itself is booming and projected to be one of the fastest-growing industries, with total spending projected to exceed $1.45 trillion in 2023/a. However, most construction companies are unable to meet the rising demand. pAccording to the Associated General Contractors of America/a, more than 80% of contractors are experiencing difficulties filling hourly craft positions that represent the bulk of the construction workforce.pAnd demand isnt limited to individual contributor roles. Given the industry boom, there are a number of open stable and high-paying roles (any project managers out there?) waiting for the right candidateh23. Leadership Opportunities/h2pAccording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics/a, women compose only 7.7% of the total 1 million managerial positions in construction.br/pBut given the highly collaborative nature of construction work, more women in leadership roles would help drive innovation and enhance productivity.Furthermore, as a woman in construction in a leadership position, youd have the unique opportunity to drive change for the industry and make it a more attractive option for other women.h24. High-Income Potential/h2pSalaries for many skilled positions in construction are on the rise, making a construction career a prime choice for women looking for a high-paying job,pThe 2018 Construction Craft Salary Surveyconducted by the National Center for Construction Education and Research revealed that salaries for many skilled craft areas are increasing. Pr oject managers and project supervisors topped the list at $92,523 and $88,355, respectively. The next set of highest-paying jobs include those of combo welders ($71,067), instrumentation technicians ($70,080), pipe welders ($69,222), power line workers ($68,262) and industrial electricians ($67,269). Of the 32 categories of workers in the survey, 19 positions earned an average salary of $60,000 or higher.h25. Sense of accomplishment/h2p The construction industry can give employees a unique sense of achievement. Yes, the job is stressful and the work can be demanding, but nothing beats the feeling of being able to build something from the ground up. pHow many professionals in other industries can point at a school, a hospital, or a skyscraper and say I helped build that?pThe construction industry has a long way to go in combating gender bias and supporting women in the workforce, but given the current demand for workers, theres no better time to pick up a sledgehammer (figurative or literal) and smash the gender stereotypes plaguing the construction industry.