Individuals in the workforce may now equip themselves with ways to identify and stop workplace harassment through upcoming educational sessions.
Informational sessions
The Bureau of Women’s Affairs will hold several informational sessions about workplace harassment to empower island residents.
Made possible through a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, the sessions will define what harassment is and its different forms. Additionally, it will provide ways to combat it.
Similar sessions were held last year in October, also funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.
Jayne Flores, Director of BWA and the Administrator for the Governor’s Community Outreach Federal Programs Office, says the informational sessions seek to address workplace issues people might not be aware of, especially in smaller companies.
Forms of harassment
“People here don’t know a lot about what constitutes harassment in a workplace or what you can or should be or should not be doing in a workplace,” Flores said. “Especially the smaller companies that don’t have an HR.”
She expanded on ways in which individuals could experience workplace harassment. Ageism, discrimination against an individual for their sexual orientation, religion, or due to pregnancy, to name a few ways.
“Harassment goes many, many ways,” she expressed. “Like if you’re given the night shift— that you’ve always put on the night shift even if you see everyone else rotating out, but you’re always on the night shift…
“…that is a form of harassment.”
The meetings will begin tomorrow, August 24th, at 6pm at the Sinajana Senior Center, followed by another at the Tamuning Senior Center on August 30th, at 6pm.
These meetings comprise of 15 overall sessions around the island ongoing until March 2023.
For more details, contact BWA at (671) 475-9172 or visit bwa.guam.gov.
Reach reporter Destiny Cruz: destiny@spbguam.com
