Matthew Stegmeier, Project WHEN’s Director of Operations, sat for an interview with The Press Democrat, a daily newspaper with the largest circulation in California’s North Bay, to discuss the pervasiveness of sexual harassment in the hotel and hospitality industry.

The interview highlights the reported incidents of sexual harassment in a Napa Luxury resort.

In the interview, we shared how sexual harassment is one of the prevalent problems that happen in the service industry, and spa services is one with rampant cases of spa workers harassment. Harassment is rampant, particularly towards women and tipped workers, which includes spa workers. This is because women working on tips are forced to depend on customers rather than their employers for their income. Thus these workers are more likely to tolerate inappropriate behavior from customers, co-workers, and management.

The EEOC reports, which were compiled between 2005 and 2015, also revealed that the service sector, which is dominated by low-wage, mostly female workers, accounted for roughly a quarter of all sexual harassment complaints.

Since sexual harassment is prevalent in the service industry, questions arise. “What should we do about it?”, “How can these be prevented?”

Matthew Stegmeier shares Project WHEN’s stand that, “for systemic change to happen, it needs to be top-down”.

Project WHEN on The Role of Companies in the Fight Against Sexual Harassment

Project WHEN research on workplace harassment shows that one of the most effective and greatest steps that companies can take to eliminate harassment is to act on it before it even happens.

When it comes to working culture, it is important to cultivate a trusting relationship between all members of the organization. When there is trust, there is also an authentic sense of security. Employees will feel safe stepping into the workplace every day knowing that no matter what happens, the company has their back. This is connected to establishing a sense of accountability in the workplace.

If you are the victim of workplace harassment or a witness to it, Project WHEN has launched a comprehensive guide about your rights under the law and what next steps you might consider in facing workplace discrimination.

How does Project WHEN help?

Project WHEN is working hard to spread the important message and encourage organizations to create a more respectful work culture. While we believe that awareness is important, having a means to directly help victims of harassment would have a huge impact. It is why in addition to expanding our resources for companies and employees, we are working on establishing a victim support hotline.

We aim to offer support to victims by connecting them with someone who can guide them through what they can do to address the problem while being a pillar of emotional support. Our hope is to widen our reach and let everyone know that workplace harassment needs to end now and if this is something one is battling with, help is available.

Are you interested in taking action and creating a harassment-free workspace?

Project WHEN provides organizations with an opportunity to enroll in the WHEN™ Organizational Certification program wherein employers can go through a structured process of learning how to prevent workplace harassment and create a more respectful work environment.

Service providers, internal practitioners, and other professionals can obtain a micro-credential by enrolling in the WHEN™ Professional Certification program. It is a five-course module that Project WHEN, together with Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI), will be launching soon. This course is perfect for individuals passionate about driving change in the workplace and who want to be Anti-Harassment Certified Practitioners.

Getting Involved with Project WHEN 

Learn more about how you can support us or get involved with our organization here.

Join our mailing list to stay updated about the latest Project WHEN news. We also encourage anyone passionate about eliminating workplace harassment to sign our Pledge of Commitment to demonstrate your support in creating respectful, harassment-free workplaces for future generations.