Addressing workplace culture critical as sexual harassment remains a persistent problem; nearly 1.5M Alberta workers affected
As workplace sexual harassment remains a persistent problem affecting one in five Alberta workers, a new campaign led by the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services (AASAS), in partnership with Justice Canada, focuses on what may be the missing link: workplace culture.
Most people understand that a positive workplace culture is important for employee well-being, team success, and job performance. A caring and inclusive work culture is also an important primary defense against sexual harassment. Such behaviour is less likely to occur in positive work cultures and more likely to be effectively addressed if it does happen.
The Alberta-wide, three-year campaign called #momentsmatter, celebrates workplace leaders who are getting workplace culture right by promoting psychological safety, employee success and career growth, and an effective response to sexual harassment. Whereas traditional sexual harassment awareness initiatives focus on forbidden behaviors, momentsmatter turns tradition on its head, using positive modelling that motivates ‘copycat’ behavior.
