Posted By: Mark Hostutler for VISTA Today
As a direct response to survey findings on workplace sexual harassment in Chester County, the Chester County Women’s Commission and Chester County Fund for Women and Girls recently hosted a public #ChescoKnows Summit at Penn State Great Valley.
An enthusiastic crowd of more than 150 community leaders and employees who work in Chester County gathered to empower the sexual harassment and assault awareness movement on a local level. The purpose of the summit was to present survey results in more detail and explore ways all key partners can work together to address sexual harassment in Chester County workplaces.
The first 100 attendees were welcomed with a copy of The Drama-Free Workplace: How You Can Prevent Unconscious Bias, Sexual Harassment, Ethics Lapses, and Inspire a Healthy Culture by Patti Perez. It’s a how-to book on preventing unconscious bias and sexual harassment and building healthy workplace cultures.
Image via Chester County Fund for Women and Girls
Chester County Commissioners Michelle Kichline, Kathi Cozzone, and Terence Farrell spoke to efforts already being made in the county to address sexual harassment. They were followed by Meghan McVety, the Co-Founder of Capacity for Change, who presented key findings from the #ChescoKnows Workplace Sexual Harassment survey. She revealed that nearly two-thirds of people, or 62 percent, reported to have witnessed or experienced sexual harassment at some point in their career. She shared stories from anonymous survey participants to properly represent their voices and experiences.
One respondent noted, “if I didn’t ignore 99 percent of what I hear or what has been said to me, I would be out of a job. I do not have the luxury of complaining since I am head of my household.”