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Publicis Sapient, Leo Burnett and She Says create #WeToo to address workplace harassment

Publicis Sapient and Leo Burnett have partnered with She Says to create a free event, #WeToo, addressing harassment in the workplace.

The new event will provide attendees with the tools needed to understand their rights in the workplace and how to respond to harassment.

The #WeToo event will go beyond the experience of harassment and include those on the sidelines, the organisers said. The bystander effect – when an individual is unlikely to help a victim because others are present – will be discussed, empowering attendees to speak up about issues in the workplace culture that enable or overlook harassment.

Shelby Robinson, director of people strategy at Publicis Sapient and member of She Says, said in a statement: “I feel that, together, we can minimise the pain and anxiety that people experience as a victim or witness of harassment. This event is about arming people with the skills to effectively identify and speak up when they witness someone abusing their power or when conditions are developing that enable these situations to occur.”

Sarah Palmer, head of talent management at Leo Burnett Australia and chair of The Agency Circle said: “Certainly most larger organisations have policies in place required to provide safe work environments, but many people may not have access to the processes to follow if they see, hear or experience harassment. We want to share this important information to empower women and men to speak up and put an end to discriminatory behaviour in the workplace.”

Clinton Parr, founder of A Lion and The Vibes, and employee experience consultant, will speak at the #WeToo event. In a statement he said that a small step taken by an employee could help change the culture of a company.

“There are quite a lot of misconceptions around what speaking up about sexual harassment actually means. With a little forethought, and some courage, people can make a huge difference to the culture of their companies, but more importantly, to the targets of harassment, with very little effort, risk or personal cost. I want to help people discover very comfortable and practical ways to stamp sexual harassment out if and when they come across it,” Parr said.

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