How many times have you been a witness, bystander or enabler to bad behavior in the workplace? Maybe the behavior made you uncomfortable and you did not want to get involved for fear of ridicule or retaliation from your colleagues? You thought, surely someone else will report the behavior? Or maybe you were too scared to speak up for fear of being labeled a trouble maker and potentially affecting your job security? It takes a village to change the culture and prevalence of sexual harassment in the sandbox of the workplace. This village includes you, whether executive or employee.

If you sense an uncomfortable reaction or witness offensive behavior, don’t be a bystander. Be an upstander and say something!

Intervening in a safe and gentle manner can be a powerful show of support for the recipient of the objectionable behavior. A simple comment might have impact such as “Hey, not cool! Be respectful. You are violating company policy!” Men will listen to men and speaking up and taking a stand, might underscore your leadership qualities. Staying silent might make you complicit.

Here are some other Upstander tips:

• If a colleague keeps making inappropriate comments in a crowd, pull him aside and alert him to the potential consequences of his behavior;
• If you are worried about addressing the behavior directly, ask his superior to talk to him;
• If you encounter a group of frequent violators, make the time to educate them on the company’s sexual harassment policies and potential consequences;
• If you sense a target of the sexual harassment is uncomfortable, find a reason to extract her from the situation (I have a report to show you; Ready for the conference call?; Do you have a minute for a question?);
• If you discover that a colleague becomes visibly uncomfortable in the presence of another colleague, find a time to talk to her. She may be suffering from sexual harassment and may need help and support;
• Offer your support or help to a victim. You may be able to help talk to the violator, his superior, or accompany the victim to Human Resources for support;
• If you determine that your witness account might be helpful to the victim, document the incident in detail and offer to be a witness if the victim elects to report;
• If you are a senior employee, an executive, a human resources representative, or the boss, set the example of being an upstander and encourage others to do the same;
• If you are a senior employee, an executive, a human resources representative, or the boss, encourage reporting to superiors and HR if necessary, especially if the behavior is offensive, persistent, or repetitive.

Reward upstanders and encourage companies to handle sexual harassment violations with transparency, respect, responsibility and accountability. Only then will we move the needle and #changetheculture to a more healthy and prosperous environment, free from #abuse and #workplacesexualharassment. #TimesUp. Let’s #playnice.

For more info on this subject and related topics, please check out our book Play Nice - Playground Rules for Respect in the Work Place and visit our website at www.thesandboxseries.com.