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Stopping sexual harassment at work
The Yukon Human Rights Commission (“the Commission”) is hosting a free online conference called “KNOW MORE!” on March 4th and 5th, 2021.
The Yukon Human Rights Commission (“the Commission”) is hosting a free online conference called “KNOW MORE!” on March 4th and 5th, 2021. The goal of the conference is to raise awareness and inform about the law relating to workplace sexual harassment. The Commission hopes to attract employers, employees and other stakeholders from First Nations, unions, women’s groups, chambers of commerce, and other potential partners. The hope is to develop shared approaches to this issue, provide education, and provoke discussion that will lead to a decrease in the numbers of Yukoners facing this problem.
The conference is a part of a five-year project funded by Justice Canada, which seeks to encourage workplace sexual harassment reporting in Yukon and expand the collection of quality research data.
According to data from: Gender-based violence: Unwanted sexual behaviours in Canada’s territories, February, 2018, 31% of women and 16% of men experienced unwanted sexual behaviours in the workplace, yet the vast majority of incidents go unreported.
“People fear retaliation at their jobs, unfortunately,” said Tory Russell, A human rights officer at the Commission. “We feel that if stakeholders knew the costs of harassment as they relate to mental health, productivity and staff turnover, they would be more receptive to adopting appropriate policies.”
The conference will be broken into several modules, and include an educational film featuring Gwaandak Theatre.
“We want the conference to be interesting and interactive as well as provide important legal information,” said Russell. “It is important to the Commission that we are seen as an important knowledge base in combating sexual harassment in the workplace. Our goal is stop the discrimination in a reparative, not punitive way,” said Russell’s colleague, Lisa Stewart.
Visit https://yukonhumanrights.ca/2021/01/know-more-event/ to pre-register or get more information about the conference, or contact the Commission.
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Comments (22)
Up 2 Down 2
Max Mack on Feb 19, 2021 at 11:28 am
@Sheepchaser
Your comment reads like it was ripped straight from an extremist feminist rage blog.
Are you that disconnected with reality or just intent on proving to women how awesome you are?
The YHRC and all sister organizations in every jurisdiction have been taken over by SJWs, White Knights and the perverse ideology that all women are victims and all men are aggressive predators. "Believe women" and "Me Too" thinking dominates HRCs everywhere in Canada.
The YHRC will find you "guilty" if you are a man accused of "inappropriate behaviour" towards a woman. The likelihood of any other outcome is next to zero. This is the reality of the kangaroo-court process of HRCs in Canada.
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drum on Feb 17, 2021 at 5:31 pm
In the old days the Respectful Workplace employees would go into the workplace after a complaint and do an investigation. Maybe do some education in the form of workshops. Make recommendations and hold the manager or director responsible and do follow ups. Then we got a new Commissioner of PSC (YG) Catherine Reed. She came for 5 years, laid off the employees in the Respectful Workplace office, brought in her own people who do healing circles, hand out pamphlets, smoke sweet grass and tell people to work out their own problems. We are supposed to be in 2021. Not 1960.
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Smoke and Mirrors on Feb 16, 2021 at 4:19 pm
@ Window Dressing - I agree. The RWO process is a sham. You are required to confront the abuser. Oddly - The RWO process described my abuser as a cold, hard, bitter, individual who ordinarily presents their way and as someone who would not back down. This person was further described as being detached from his/her/their feelings. Once the person became aware that the RWO was involved they began to retaliate.
It’s not just Window Dressing - It’s a dog whistle for the management hounds to come running.
YG is a joke and the Union a lampoon of workers rights. They should be ashamed.
Up 23 Down 0
Window dressing on Feb 16, 2021 at 3:01 pm
I have a colleague who continues to be harassed (along with others) in their YG workplace. The behavior goes back several years.
My colleague complained to their supervisor who brushed it off and they then went to 'Respectful Workplace' who gave them a couple leaflets on how they should confront their harasser.
They wanted the victim to confront the aggressor. Guess how that played out?
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The Case of Emotional Baggage on Feb 16, 2021 at 1:21 pm
JJ - With respect. Intuition is never ‘right’ but it is sometimes, without knowing. Feelings are signals. They alert us to use the thinking part of our brains to verify what is going on, or, at least they should. They are neuro-evolutionary vestiges of adaptive functioning in the natural world to trigger flight or fight response - Is that a shark in the water or just driftwood... Is that a lion or bear rustling the bushes or just the wind?
We are neurologically designed to default to the false positive position as a matter of self preservation. That is, we believe there is danger when there really is not. It’s about survival. FFS!
Feelings are the stuff of bias and prejudice which in their extreme forms are sexism, racism, and various other isms.
Corporations, HR Depts, and Government have corrupted the idea of an emotional intelligence. People who understand this know that the originator of the theory never intended emotion to be an actual intelligence. It is an absurdity. But this is what the idea of mentioning to someone that the colour looks nice on them example nicely conveys - We react differentially to different people based on our feelings and perceptions of them rather than the intent of their communication or the actual circumstance - we feel repulsed, fear or whatever. But that is not about the other person - It is our schit.
Because it is about our feelings and not theirs. This is bad. It is disgusting. It is contempt. But hey, we have a whole society based on this concept, feelings are intelligent. How narcissistic of them. We know that there are increased rates of narcissism, impulsivity, mobbing, and bullying, etc., but we keep excusing them away as: that’s her management style; he’s having a bad day; they just want to be heard.
But sexual harassment is not about the colour of someone’s clothing. It is the intent to control and manipulate them as a person transitioning to object. It is the objectification of the person for a purpose. This same method is used to cancel someone. The person gets transformed into some object in a process controlled by others. It is disgusting.
This is what is happening at a societal level. You are objects to be manipulated for a purpose other than your own. And always, yours, mine and other’s feelings are manipulated for this purpose because facts can be proven or disproven. Feelings - They are in the eye of the power-beholder which we all know by now is not the same as truth and this is by design.
Up 13 Down 3
Image first - reality second on Feb 15, 2021 at 6:46 pm
@yg looks the other way - you said it all about image not reality. The slogan should be “place to be harassed”. Mental wellness has the head harasser who has been promoted and put on the pedestal and completely protected.
Up 9 Down 2
Juniper Jackson on Feb 15, 2021 at 3:40 pm
I do not condone any actual 'sexual harassment". I have seen the real thing. But the parameters have expanded so far that everything can be construed as sexual harassment. It's apparently in the eye of the beholder as it were.
Just before I retired, I was at an all female staff meeting, and the chat, just before the meeting started was.. inappropriate is putting it mildly. I was just sitting there. An ADM was present.. But the woman sitting next to me, younger than most, said.. you know guys, this is a work place. I don't want to hear it. She has since passed away, but I have asked myself many times, why didn't I speak up? Why didn't I defend my right to a professional work place for 25 years? Only one person was mildly upset, she apologized on the spot.. Sorry. xxx, you're right..let's get on with it. Why was I such a wuzz for all those years? I'm just saying, stick up for yourselves too. And be flexible with the your feelings. One person could say, that color looks wonderful on you, and you are comfortable with that. It's a compliment. But another person makes you feel..icky.. I think a person's personal intuition is 99.9% right. Speak up for yourselves too, with others if you need to. But, i don't think it's always a mistake when you expect other people to defend you, make changes for you, if you are not willing to at least try for those things yourself. The other person will NEVER think they are wrong.
Up 24 Down 0
High Hopes on Feb 15, 2021 at 10:05 am
@ YG Looks the other way - They certainly do. So does the Union. The Union is in a conflict of interest when it is other Union members engaging in the sexual harassment but you have to go through the Union. It’s effing bonkers.
I wonder if there is appetite or ability for a class action suit against both Union and YG. They have effectively legislated abusive and sexualized harassment, etc.
Yes... It is all about maintaining the image.
Up 22 Down 0
Cameron on Feb 14, 2021 at 6:22 pm
@yg looks the other way - know the manager you speak of - that individual is thriving despite many many complaints. My partner also raised concerns to HR about him - dismissed told to stop making trouble. Education on harassment is important but unless you have senior people who don’t protect these people and say “not possible” you're wasting your time. Remember these are the same people who said come forward we want to know concerns during the group home debacle. We all know how that went the abusers went unpunished and were promoted, the whistle blowers got the heave ho. I would never tell anyone to report harassment or wrongdoing to anyone in YG you will just get fired.
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Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing on Feb 14, 2021 at 11:35 am
It’s funny how pathetically sheep-like some people are. The argument of moral relativism is a deviants game. All sexual harassment is wrong because it is dehumanizing and objectifying. It is meant to say that the other is not worthy.
This is always the problem with societal corrections. They are one sided because if people were able to see both sides and dispatch with issue at hand equitably there would be no moral cause with which to advance the self.
The position that this group has it worse therefore we can only deal with their issues is demonstrative of prejudice. We “all” hope for change - Some of us however only have hope for some while others have hope for all.
What we do know is that sexual harassment, sexual assault, and its associations are largely unreported. Further, we know that males are more disadvantaged in reporting instances of sexual harassment and sexual assault because of the greater stigma, and the myths associated with manhood, and what it means to be male.
There are many, many, men in this Territory who have been the victims of unreported sexual harassment, and sexual assault by both males and females and these experiences have profoundly impacted their lives.
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Sheepchaser on Feb 14, 2021 at 6:08 am
Funny how pathetically fragile some of you dudes are. All bluster and grievance. Anger paving over the shame; with the rotten lonely weeds sprouting through the cracks. Probably earned the mocking moments you’re whining about. Meanwhile, among those of us that treat women like equals, we’re all fed up with them being harassed, abused and assaulted. There is no moral equivalent between the two. You’re wanting respect (maybe worship, hard to tell), they must have safety. If you can’t manage to pull on your Neutral Suit when you go to work, you will no longer have a job.
It’s okay boys, just relax. It’s going to happen whether you like it or not. Might as well try to enjoy it.
Up 29 Down 2
YG - looks the other way on Feb 14, 2021 at 2:43 am
I reported sexual harassment to the Director of HR. I know I was not the only one who did. After the harassment came the intimidation by the higher ups to keep quiet as this was a respected manager. A manager who still works in YG despite numerous other questionable activities including founded wrongdoing. YG does not care, does not address and facilitated harassment and intimidation of various kinds. Great this is happening but there are major systemic problems and individuals in high positions who thrive in this environment and look the other way because “we are the place to be” and we can’t tarnish that image.
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I had high hopes, once. on Feb 12, 2021 at 7:44 pm
The conference is a part of a five-year project funded by Justice Canada, which seeks to encourage workplace sexual harassment reporting in Yukon and expand the collection of quality research data.
The YEU is a barrier to this process. It neither has the intellectual capacity, the qualifications, or the motivation to pursue the complaints that it restrains within its Collective Agreement. The Collective Agreement actually protects the employer from disclosures as it traps the complainant in a layered process that is diversionary.
It is inappropriate to have the YEU serve as buffer to a Human Rights claim as it is too enmeshed with the management structure through a habit of passive acquiescence. This situation is further exacerbated by the small town politics of small town minds whose relationships are often in question - hey buddy! Don’t worry I got this for ya!
Right on, I’ll approve your proposal then.
So, like High Hopes, excuse me if I roll my eyes too. Justice in the Yukon is like work on a farm - There’s a lot of poop to shovel!
Up 26 Down 9
Matthew on Feb 12, 2021 at 5:04 pm
Really? People are at work? Lol in all seriousness it's going way too far. Anything can be taken offensive, male or female. I mean have you actually heard women talk about men.. wow.. I say grow thicker skin and get over it. Or just stand up for yourself, but again, that can be taken out of context and offensive.. see where it's going? Yes, in a circle..
Up 17 Down 4
High Hopes on Feb 12, 2021 at 4:21 pm
@ Groucho - Very good point about double standards and who can use them. Human Rights have become weaponized through power dynamics which are often politically motivated vendettas rather than the actual pursuit of Justice for all.
When Human Rights are used to categorically single anyone out to say that, for example, white males cannot be discriminated against, then Human Rights Law becomes an exercise in dehumanization. This is sometimes applied to the idea that men cannot be sexually assaulted or sexually harassed.
Misandry is alive and well in the civil service. But I do also recognize that misogyny exists as do other forms of racism. However, I also understand that these issues are very poorly understood at the community level as are - Human Rights.
Up 36 Down 14
bonanzajoe on Feb 12, 2021 at 4:02 pm
Why are men always the perps? In my several decades of life, I could tell stories about naughty women. But, don't get me started. Maybe it's time for men to organize, demonstrate and protest. Maybe it's time for a Straight Pride movement and straight pride parade every year and a Straight Pride month. I served my country, I've worked until I was 77 and I am not going to leave this world intimidated, embarrassed or scared.
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Patti Eyre on Feb 12, 2021 at 3:48 pm
Oh my god! A few men get hurt feelings from a woman and suddenly it’s like someone was shot! Hardly any an appropriate comparison to what women have to endure. Truly, grow up!
Up 18 Down 35
JSmonk on Feb 12, 2021 at 2:51 pm
Women need more protection from men and guys need to cool it with the work place cat calls and comments. This isn't the 50's anymore and everyone should have autonomy to exist without harassment.
Up 53 Down 6
Nathan Living on Feb 12, 2021 at 2:00 pm
There is a clear double standard where women can make highly inappropriate comments to men and female coworkers but many male workers are villified for comnents.
Up 42 Down 5
Groucho d'North on Feb 12, 2021 at 1:24 pm
"People experience things differently." Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in response to allegations of him groping a female reporter.
Beware of multiple standards and who can use them.
Up 36 Down 3
comen sense on Feb 12, 2021 at 12:27 pm
Not going to mention the place or name and posting this comment slightly off the topic of this article but I was confronted by this woman very out of line, a real b__h after paying for my purchases. Out in the parking lot I said to myself, if this was a man who was acting inappropriately, it would not have been right.
Up 51 Down 2
High Hopes on Feb 12, 2021 at 11:10 am
It is unfortunate that education and training about Human Rights are relegated to the status of a “hope”. This should be mandatory for all supervisors, managers and senior management within government.
I had a female supervisor in a female dominated industry continually make comments about women’s superior abilities and strengths with occasional references to men being unintelligent doofs who just did not get it.
In other environments female coworkers would joke around with management about their supervisors receiving sexual favours in the workplace. However, if a male were to conduct himself with similar behaviour he would not only lose his job but likely be charged with criminal harassment.
I have hopes too!
So, forgive me if I roll my eyes. Hope - FFS, there are some days when I literally fear that I am going to have to shake a colleague off my leg.
There are some departments in YG that should have a Human Rights branch office within the workplace.