Hi all: I agree with Ralph that someone with an issue of sexual harassment might wish to consider what they would like to get out of a discussion.
If they are hoping to deal with a specific incident or pattern of incidents, hopefully the organization needs to have procedures in place for dealing with this. For example, in Ontario, Canada, I am aware that one of the first things that an employee experiencing harassment is asked to do is to request in front of one other person that this person stop their behaviour. It's a prerequisite to everything else and if the behaviour then goes away, nothing else needs to happen. But the harasser must not be able to say that they were unaware of the problem or to say that they didn't know their attentions were unwelcome. In more than one of the organizations I know about, that is just the first step in an escalation of procedures well defined and laid out by the corporate lawyers. However, if what they are trying to achieve is some discussion that might lead to the formulating of corporate procedures/support for the harassee or other discussions of values in the workplace, etc., then Open Space is a wonderful place to begin the discussion. Just some thoughts Esther Hi, A number of times in OS, participants have come to me and asked for help wording a sensitive or complex topic. Longtime amateur wordsmith that I am, I usually try to offer simple technical assistance. When the topic on their mind is very sensitive, I suggest they find language that is clear but not incendiary and that when they get into the session to make very clear what they have in mind. Another way to help such a person might be to suggest the topic be in the strongest, clearest possible language to which they have no trouble signing their name. With regard to sexual harassment specifically, in the US (and I imagine elsewhere) there are laws that cover such offenses that aim to protect workers from abuse. An organization's lawyers ought to know about any alleged incidents so they may be investigated fully. They should also be informed about patterns of harassment, where specifics may be hard to pin down. Open conversations about who is doing what to whom may lead to mention of names, allegations against individuals that cannot be supported by facts, embarrassment for those who have been harassed, and other painful possibilities. Encouraging simple, open discussion on any topic by any persons at any time may not be the best way to deal with this. Let us all be very careful. This is not to say that such topics are inappropriate for open space. I think they are appropriate. But it's a question of how to be helpful if a participant seeks our guidance about such a posting. Ralph Copleman * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist Esther Ewing The Change Alliance 330 East 38th St., Suite 53K New York, NY 10016, USA Telephone: 212-661-6024, Fax: 866-296-6712 Assisting organizations to build capability _www.changealliance.com_ (http://www.changealliance.com/) Certified Panoramic Feedback Distributor (360 instrument) _www.panoramicfeedback.com_ (http://www.panoramicfeedback.com/) Certified Kolbe Distributor: _www.kolbe.com_ (http://www.kolbe.com/) * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist