Beyond Sexual Harassment, Equity Across the Gender Divide

Beyond Sexual Harassment, Equity Across the Gender Divide

Simma Lieberman

Webinar: March 21, 2018 from 2:00 PM- 3:30 PM

For access, contact [email protected]

Background and Purpose:

Accusations and reported incidents of sexual harassment, assault and abuse of power by men over women and, in some cases, over other men, show up in the news every day.

Lawsuits are being filed and reputations are being lost; particularly for those organizations that were warned and took no action, or kept payouts quiet while the offenders were still employed.

Too often the situation is being presented as a “men vs. women” battle. This is unhealthy for organizations and negatively affects people’s ability to work together. It doesn’t solve the problem.

Requests for anti-sexual harassment training are on the rise as people seek solutions, since many do not know what to do.

While anti-sexual harassment training is important to set boundaries, and prevent certain egregious behaviors, it’s not enough. When people have the opportunity to engage in dialogue, hear and understand each other’s perspectives, it reduces objectification and promotes gender equity. They are more willing to collaborate and help each other.

This webinar is designed to initiate the conversation that goes beyond sexual harassment laws to engaging in dialogue across gender and find new ways to connect as peers. Harassment is a form of bullying and it takes people across the gender spectrum to prevent it together.

Topics include:

• Sexual harassment and the ways in which different types of sexual harassment impact everyone in the workplace (not just targets of harassment)
• Why some people don’t report harassment or inappropriate behavior
• How gender dialogue can break isolation, prevent sexual harassment, promote gender equity and increase collaboration across gender
• Ways to support co-workers and push back against inappropriate behavior
• How to take actions to go from silent bystander to active ally

Methodology:

During the webinar participants will have opportunities to share their experiences and ask each other questions.

At the end of the webinar people will have time to provide suggested solutions.

Simma Lieberman is internationally known as “The Inclusionist,” because she creates inclusive workplaces where employees love to do their best work, and customers love to do business.

Her passion for diversity and its possibilities began in 1963 when she went on the March On Washington. In 1963. She wishes she could say that it was because of hearing Martin Luther King give his “I Have A Dream” speech, but she was too young to remember it. However, she has always remembered what it felt like to be amongst 250,000 people for the first time of all colors, cultures, and ages, rallying and marching together for change.

Later on, she began working with a multi-cultural organization in New York City, where she was trained to facilitate dialogues with diverse racial and ethnic groups, in order to reduce tension, and create effective working relationships.

Her first culture shock was when she moved from the Bronx to Eugene, Oregon, where she was a member of a multicultural global theater group.

Today, Simma works with leaders of organizations who understand that while training in areas of diversity and inclusion is important, sustainable change only occurs when diversity and inclusion are integrated into the business strategy, and are part of the organization’s cultural DNA. She strongly believes that implementing good diversity management and developing cultural intelligence are necessary for organizations to stay relevant and competitive in tomorrow’s markets.

Her unique ability to view organizations through an inclusion lens also enables Simma to help leaders in organizations uncover employee genius, and leverage their diverse talents and skills at any level.

She has worked with a wide range of organizations that include: Applied Materials, Gulfstream, America Empresarial, Intel, Diageo, Kimpton Hotels, VSP, Boeing, Pillsbury Bakeries and Foodservices, McDonalds, Women’s Foodservice Forum, Oracle, Kaiser Permanente, UC Berkeley, and the US Dept. of Transportation.

Simma is a member of two diversity think tanks, a former co-chair of the San Francisco Regional Chapter of Out and Equal, and former board member of the Northern California Chapter of the National Speakers Association. She is the president of the Northern California Chapter of Society for the Advancement of Consulting, and an inductee to the Million Dollar Consultant Hall of Fame.

Publications that have featured her articles and ideas include The Wall Street Journal, NY Times, Fast Company, The Economist, Forbes, Black MBA, Restaurant Hospitality Magazine, Insight Into Diversity, Working Mother, Cosmopolitan UK, Human Resource Executive, CEO Refresher and CNN.

She is the co-author with George Simons and Kate Berardo, of Putting Diversity to Work, how to successfully lead a diverse workforce, the co-author of The Diversity Calling, Building Diverse Communities One Story at a Time and the author of 110 Ways to Champion Diversity and Build Inclusion and Stress Management for the Motivated, A Workbook For You.

Contact Simma at [email protected] or 510-527-0700.