Breaking the Silence Habit: A Practical Guide to Uncomfortable Conversations in the #MeToo Workplace

Top consultant Sarah Beaulieu goes beyond rules and compliance to offer a five-part framework that will enable men and women to have uncomfortable but necessary conversations about sexual harassment and violence at work and develop new ways to work together.

In the wake of the #MeToo movement, employees and leaders are struggling with how to respond to the pervasiveness of sexual harassment within their organizations and industries. Compliance-only approaches fall short because they teach employees the rules but don’t provide them with the skills to follow them. Sarah Beaulieu provides a new skills-based approach to addressing sexual harassment prevention and response in the workplace, including using underdeveloped skills like empathy, situational awareness, boundary setting, and intervention.

Beaulieu outlines a five-part framework for having conversations about sexual harassment- Know the Facts; Feel Uncomfortable; Get Curious, Not Furious; See the Whole Picture; and Embrace Practical Questions. By embracing these conversations, we can break the cycle of avoidance and silence that leaves our lives and our workplaces feeling volatile and unsafe. This book will help you contribute toward fostering a safer environment for your colleagues so that everyone can bring their full talent and contributions to the workplace.