I read this and I was shocked
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reported in 2016 that between 6 and 13 percent of people who experienced harassment at work filed a formal complaint, meaning 87 to 94 percent of people do not report it.
Thatâs absolutely right! and this is why we created Vault. People, and especially women, donât report harassment. Time to rethink the methodology and technology that is used.
Despite the fact that #metoo and other movements have opened up the dialogue around abuse and harassment in the workplace, many women still fear speaking up because they believe that additionally to having been victims of harassment they will be victims of the consequences of speaking up
Another one for you Neta I came across this really interesting insight
âaccessibility is critical; research shows that if businesses acknowledge reports within 24 hours, they help to create a positive organizational climate. When complainants are satisfied with the organizationâs handling of cases, they are less likely to pursue legal redress against an organizationâ
A1: The primary policy lever to address gender-based violence in IFC investment and advisory projects is through the E&S (Environmental and Social) due diligence process and the IFC Performance Standards (PS). Gender is mainstreamed throughout the PSs, in fact there are references around gender in all but one of the PSs (PS3 Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention). Otherwise gender is included in the following PSs:
PS1: Assessment and Management of E&S Risks and Impacts;
PS2: Labour and Working Conditions;
PS4: Community Health Safety and Security;
PS5: Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement;
PS6 Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Living Natural Resources;
PS7: Indigenous People;
PS8: Cultural Heritage.
IFC is redoubling its efforts to focus on gender-based violence in projects with further training of our E&S Specialists to understand gender-based violence, development of guidance materials, and expanding our due diligence to explicitly address sexual harassment, abuse and exploitation in investment activity.
- PS2 on âLabor and Working Conditionsâ - Non-Discrimination/Equal Opportunity: â The client will take measures to prevent and address harassment, intimidation, and/or exploitation, especially in regard to women.â (Para 15). This requires clients to implement human resources processes that address sexual harassment and SEA in the workplace.
- PS4 on âCommunity Health, Safety and Securityâ - Clients are required to ensure that their activities do not contribute to sexual harassment, abuse or exploitation in communities influenced by the client activity (Para 1/5).
Yes gender based violence needs to be embedded into a much larger gender policy that tackles all inequality
A1: Gender equality cannot be achieved without tackling GBV and sexual harassment. Any business that is serious about gender equality, equity, inclusion and diversity needs to address it, even though it is a difficult subject. But businesses need to go beyond a compliance and policy approach - this shouldnât be about being ahead of legislation (even though it is good to be); it is about creating a fair and empowering working culture and providing safe, fair and dignified work spaces for all.
A1: Failing to effectively address sexual harassment can also lead to huge litigation costs â the sexual harassment scandal at Fox News resulted in a US$90 million settlement cost for the channelâs owner, 21st Century Fox. Of course there is also an enormous reputational risk to business: recent allegations of sexual harassment against Guess co-founder Paul Marciano saw the company lose US$250 million of market value in a single day.
We will move on to question 2âŚ
Q2: What are the best examples of business approaches and interventions to prevent and respond to gender-based violence?
A2: A global focus on the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace in the wake of the #MeToo movement means that more companies are starting to take more proactive steps to ensure their workers are safe and respected. There are many different approaches business can take to tackle GBV, ranging range from policy strengthening to awareness raising, working through supply chains, cause-related marketing and framework development. CARE recognises that GBV does not affect only one area of business. We aim to work inside business and within its supply and wider value chains to analyse and mitigate risk, and to strengthen policy and procedure to create lasting change. We are happy to share some examples of our work with corporate partners to promote womenâs empowerment including through addressing GBV.
CARE-Diageo partnership: In August 2016, CARE and Diageo signed a global partnership agreement which aims to empower women and engage men to address the root causes of gender inequality through research, programming and advocacy activities. Throughout 2017-2018 we built a foundation of in-depth research and pilot programming in order to understand the barriers and opportunities faced by women in the Diageo value chain on a daily basis. We conducted a gender analysis of Diageoâs Ethiopian barley supply chain which has identified GBV within the home as a key constraint on female farmers being able to reach their full potential. In Cambodia, Diageo and CARE funded a programme to ensure that bars and hotels are dignified workplaces, free from violence for entertainment and hospitality workers. We also conducted a needs analysis in Indonesia to understand the experiences of bar workers in Jakarta in relation to sexual harassment. In 2018 we completed a comprehensive analysis of Diageoâs entire value chain and its approach to addressing sexual harassment in the workplace, resulting in several recommendations to the Diageo Executive Committee. More information about this partnership is available here.
What works? CARE Australia recently conducted a ârapid reviewâ into what works in preventing and responding to sexual harassment in the workplace. The report What works? Reducing sexual harassment in the workplace draws together insights on various promising global approaches. A summary of the research findings is available here. The evidence shows significant convergence around several themes, including:
-
the importance of sustained
-
leadership engagement and commitment;
-
broader efforts to prevent sexual harassment by shifting social norms;
-
whole of organisationâ approaches that include formalised governance approaches and policies, effective complaints mechanisms, and ongoing staff training; and
-
embedding organisational approaches in a broader commitment to gender equality.
A2: A good example here â in fact two â which show the power of ensuring the workers are part of the solutions⌠In the state of Florida, in the United States, a 16-year campaign successfully defended the rights of tomato pickers who had been frequently physically and sexually assaulted, including in transport on the way to the fields. Agreements with growers and buyers established a 24-hour call centre for workers to report violations of their rights, and immediate investigation, remediation and worker-to-worker education on company time. Zero tolerance translated into near zero incidence of gender-based violence in the fields.**
In Uganda, a 2010 collective bargaining agreement focuses on the priorities of women workers in the Ugandan floriculture sector. The collective bargaining agreement was negotiated between the Uganda Flower Exporters Association (UFEA) and the two national trade unions representing floriculture workers. The collective bargaining agreement covers all workers, including non-union members, and includes the commitment to draw up a negotiated workplace policy for dealing with sexual harassment on the farms (as this was identified by women as the major issue they faced at work)
A2: At Unilever we are committed to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights â recognizing that GBV is one of the most prevalent violations of Human Rights. However, we want to go beyond respecting human rights to actively promoting them. Our ambition is to embed the promotion of human rights into every function, every role and every corner of the organization. The most basic and minimum requirement for companies is to have the right policies in place and the required grievance mechanisms. At Unilever we have a âZero toleranceâ of any form of discrimination, including sexual harassment and violence, is embedded in the policies that govern our operations and value chains.
However, often the context requires more holistic approaches. In our tea estates we have a safety program is designed to equip all women, boys and girls be able to address all forms of violence based on 4 pillars; prevention, detection, response and external engagement. Some examples are:
o Peer education; This involves building a pool of champions from among workers who can be trained and equipped to engage their peers.
o Training and mentorship on gender and human rights for different target groups.
o Village conversations, campaigns and Male engagement to get them to be antiâGBV champions.
o Gender empowerment programs including i.e.increase in numbers of female team leaders, womenâs economic inclusion and training women on financial literacy, life skills, ICT and entrepreneurship.
o School programs; integrate these with existing student engagement systems/ programs
Make sure that internal policies are linked to procedures and training, so they donât just sit there and never get assessed for effectiveness.
Use training that isnât just about telling employees what the policy is. You can tell me. I can understand what you are telling me. But, if you want me to act on that or internalize a new way of thinking, Iâll need to experience the change in the training. Letâs go for some interactive, participatory training!
Focus on empowerment not protection, especially when the GBV is affecting women. For example, instead of banning women from working in security roles (âbecause itâs too dangerousâ), identify ways that women can contribute to workplace security (e.g., through working alongside men, through helping to identify and mitigate specific risks that female security guards might face).
I recently heard about an organization that was using a card game to engage men, competitively, in sharing their knowledge (or lack of) on gender issues, including GBV. As they compete to show they know the answers, they share what they know and also open up opportunities to discuss what they donât know.
Collect the data. If you know why your employees are taking time off, you can target interventions to reduce the impact on your business.
Avoid jumping in when itâs not your area of expertise. Yes, you may want to help and know whatâs going on. But trust in the processes that have been designed to ensure people can report GBV and receive support that will allow them to deal with it. Donât always assume that what you think is best is what the survivor wants or needs.
Be willing to be creative and exploratory with ideas that affected and interested employees have. What works in one business may not work in another.
A2: What works? advanced reporting solutions. Corporates and organisations are now waking up to the fact that âbusiness as usualâ reporting solutions donât work.
The anonymous reporting hotline is dead⌠we must open up to new ways, making women feel comfortable and confident to report violence and harassment.
And here is an example: www.vaultplatform.com
Fully agree Dean - we have seen a real shift by getting women into positions that were seen for long times male domains including the roles in techical factory occupations but also safety officers (which was seen before too dangerous). It has made a significant shift - however the issue of GBV is such a deeply rooted issue it takes time. It is NOT a tick in the box excercise and policies alone wonât change the reality. Compliance and the right programmes supporting the policies are essential. But business cannot do it alone - often the enabling environments are not there at govemental level.
Usually they say that a workplace culture starts to change when you have 30% women and that changes mindset, sexism and how women are treatedâŚso it is a question of getting enough women in there to change the culture
Lots of great examples coming through here â thanks to the panelists for sharing. Just to add that our learnings through BSRâs HERrespect program absolutely chime with CAREâs rapid review of evidence. HERrespect, which aims to prevent and address violence and harassment in factories and farms in global supply chains, uses a combination of gender awareness raising and skills building to prevent violence with male and female workers and managers, along with facilitated dialogue between workers and management and review of policies and systems. Leadership commitment has really been essential for our programs in Bangladesh, India, Ethiopia, and Kenya.
In addition: This is an important piece in the Harvard Business Review, explaining why anonymous reporting doesnât cut it: https://hbr.org/2016/01/can-your-employees-really-speak-freely
And our final question:
Q3: How can businesses and other organisations collaborate to address gender-based violence in workplaces and communities?