CONTENT WARNING: SEXUAL HARASSMENT
If you have experienced sexual harassment and need support, please see our list of resources here.
Welcome to Safer Spaces!
This is where you can find information, resources, statistics and more related to workplace sexual harassment. Check back regularly, as we update the page.
What is Safer Spaces?
Safer Spaces is an initiative developed by go2HR with support from Justice Canada to raise awareness about and help prevent sexual harassment in tourism and hospitality workplaces. The following principles lead our work:
- Promoting diversity, inclusion, sensitivity and respect
- Applying a survivor-centered and trauma-informed lens
- Avoiding the duplication of efforts in this space, instead promoting the work of others
- Ensuring that our output materials are accessible to the industry at large
The Safer Spaces Initiative has two foundational components:
Our Sexual Harassment
Course for Leaders
Safer Spaces for Employers and Supervisors is the first in a series of two Safer Spaces online courses that have been developed by go2HR. Leaders are fundamental to creating sexual harassment free workplaces because they establish the safety culture and set the tone. We invite B.C.’s employers and supervisors to take the lead by completing the Safer Spaces course and creating their own safer workplaces.
Online Sexual Harassment
Course for Workers
Sexual harassment is a pervasive problem in the tourism industry, affecting employees and guests alike. We’re proud to offer a comprehensive sexual harassment training course designed for the tourism industry.
Investing in sexual harassment training for your tourism industry employees is not only the right thing to do but also makes good business sense. Creating a safe and respectful workplace can attract and retain top talent, increase employee morale and productivity, and improve guest satisfaction.
Safer Spaces hopes to challenge and change our industry by providing easy access to resources and training on the topic of sexual harassment. In doing so, we aim to raise awareness about the topic and also equip BC’s tourism and hospitality workforce with practical knowledge and tools to help prevent it.
How to get involved
Save the Safer Spaces homepage to your favourites and check back regularly, as we continue to add new content
Challenge your management and leadership teams to take the Safer Spaces course for employers and supervisors
Ask your employees to complete the Safer Spaces course for workers and incorporate this training into your future onboarding programs for new hires
Register for our newsletters, which include a regular feature on the Safer Spaces initiative
Help us spread the word about Safer Spaces - tell your contacts and colleagues in BC’s tourism and hospitality industry about the initiative and ask them to get involved!
Why should you care ?
One in ten women experience gender-based discrimination at work
Inappropriate sexualized behaviour more common for women in occupations historically held by men
Many women do not speak out about their experiences for fear of negative impact on their career
Women and men in service jobs experience high rates of inappropriate sexualized behaviours
One in three women targeted with sexually explicit materials at work says someone in authority was responsible
In 2020, 25% of women and 17% of men experienced sexual misconduct in their workplace
Over 25% of employees did not feel like their employer had given them information on identifying, reporting, or accessing resources related to sexual harassment
Source: Status Canada https://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/start
Resources
Safer Spaces Toolkit
go2HR has a Safer Spaces holiday toolkit for tourism & hospitality employers and industry leaders.
Safer Spaces: A Path Towards Reducing Sexual Harassment in Tourism and Hospitality
When we think about workplace sexual harassment, we tend to picture someone in a position of power – usually a man – making regular, ongoing and overt physical advances to a subordinate. And while that scenario does play out in workplaces across North America (just look at the Harvey Weinstein scandal that rocked Hollywood starting in 2017), there are far more subtle, standalone or nuanced incidences, and many more still that are never reported.
Why are we launching Safer Spaces now?
Sexual harassment is not a new issue, but movements such as Me Too and #BeenRapedNeverReported are encouraging victims to step forward, share their experiences and understand that they are not alone.
Safer Spaces: Ideating Education around Workplace Sexual Harassment
Our previous blog posts discussed the motivation for go2HR to introduce education and training for the tourism and hospitality industry around workplace sexual harassment. With support from Justice Canada, the organization is navigating an ambitious three-year initiative that aims to help create sexual harassment free workplaces in B.C.’s tourism and hospitality industry. By establishing “safer spaces”, workers feel empowered to report harassment and employers are held accountable for cultivating safe workplaces.
Safer Spaces: A Sneak Peek at the Development of the Safer Spaces Training Course
Our latest blog installment picks up as the project team is gathering all the elements they need to help guide the development process.
Safer Spaces: Designing Industry-Changing Education
The last blog post in our “Safer Spaces” series, discussed the challenges of designing a training program around workplace sexual harassment, including the most overwhelming part – creating the course from scratch.
Safer Spaces: Transitioning Online
Our latest blog installment picks up as the project team gets ready to put the course online.
Safer Spaces: A Sneak Peek at the New Safer Spaces Training Course
The most recent blog post in our “Safer Spaces” series gave voice to the project team, who shared their journey of designing, editing and refining the new Safer Spaces online training course, which is aimed at reducing workplace sexual harassment across the tourism and hospitality industry.
Safer Spaces: Tourism and Hospitality Risk Factors
Safer Spaces is geared towards the tourism and hospitality industry, which is why one of the course modules focuses on unique industry risk factors – for example, the high percentage of new and young workers, as well as seasonal and temporary workers – employed in the industry.
Safer Spaces: Ready for Launch: go2HR Opens Registration for Safer Spaces Training Course
The blog post in our “Safer Spaces” series, “A Sneak Peek at the New Safer Spaces Training Course”, shared a brief overview of an important new training tool designed for the tourism and hospitality industry – Safer Spaces, which is aimed at reducing workplace sexual harassment.
Safer Spaces: Passing the Baton to You
While the team is immensely proud of the time and energy they have dedicated towards Safer Spaces, they are cognizant that the real test will come when participants move through the finished product and experience for themselves the course’s relevance and impact.
Workplace harassment, discrimination, bullying and violence prevention policy template (go2HR)
Download and customize this template for your workplace harassment, discrimination, bullying and violence prevention policy.
Code of Conduct (go2HR)
A guide to key components to consider when developing a Code of Conduct.
Bullying and harassment policy template (WorkSafeBC)
Below is the Bullying and Harassment policy template presented by WorkSafeBC that can be adapted to meet the requirements of individual workplaces.
Disclosure versus complaint (go2HR)
A visual chart illustrating the differences between a disclosure and a complaint.
Acceptable workplace behaviour (go2HR)
Providing clear expectations about what is acceptable workplace behaviour and what is not will provide clarity to all workers and reduce potential incidents of sexual harassment. It will also help to foster an inclusive, equitable workplace environment where all feel welcome and a sense of belonging.
