Speakers: Arianna Sessoms, Futures Without Violence
Sexual assault, harassment, and stalking are prevalent in the world of work. The world of work includes any location in which employees, paid and unpaid interns, contractors, volunteers, board members, consultants, and temporary workers perform their job duties. When an employee commits or experiences violence anywhere in the world of work such as at their home office, at a work event, or even in virtual workspaces, the violence will negatively impact the safety and wellbeing of the survivor, their coworkers, and the organization. Being a victim of this violence also interrupts a person’s economic potential; they may miss days at work, lose wages, have poor performance, damage professional relationships, or quit or lose employment entirely. This is an economic justice issue.
Workplaces have the power to implement primary prevention strategies (preventing workplace violence before it occurs by addressing risk factors and shifting culture) and secondary prevention strategies (mitigating the impacts of the violence on the survivor by supporting pathways to their healing journey) to help their employees and community thrive. In this session, participants will explore how sexual assault, harassment, and stalking impact workers and the workplace, and will develop trauma-responsive strategies that promote economic justice and can be implemented in their organization and community.