Drawing Connections 101: 

Promoting Racial Equity and Preventing Sexual Assault in the Workplace 

While this card is intended for all audiences, white readers should pay close attention to how 
workplace power structures and systems may benefit them at the expense of others. It is 
important that everyone is encouraged to take the time to examine their own potential biases in 
the workplace. It is up to all of us to shape a racially equitable workplace that promotes respect 
and to protects against sexual harassment, assault, and abuse. 

Creating a Healthy Workplace 

• Every employee at every level should feel safe and accepted in their workplace. This 
means that no one, at any point, should feel as though their body or identity is being 
targeted by verbal or physical harassment. 
• When workplaces take the initiative to create a healthy, safe workplace, employee 
satisfaction increases and employee output is drastically improved (McCulloch, 2021). 


What Can Employers Do to Prevent Sexual Violence? 

• Increase employee awareness of sexual harassment and misconduct through educational 
trainings. Frequent training sessions among staff reinforces that the employer takes the 
issue seriously. These trainings also help employees understand what constitutes as 
sexual misconduct (Workplaces Respond, 2019). 
• Convey to your employees that, if they speak out, they are free from retaliation from their 
colleagues or the business at large. Many survivors and bystanders hesitate to speak out 
for fear of retribution. When everyone knows that their speech is protected, potential 
perpetrators may be less likely to act knowing their colleagues would feel free to report 
their misbehavior. If there are not policies currently in place to ensure this, create them 
and provide supervisory staff with guidelines to ensure these policies are implemented 
equitably. 
• Encourage your employees to be active bystanders through bystander training sessions. 
When employees are empowered to help create an environment where every person is 
treated with respect and educated how to effectively prevent or interrupt forms of sexual 
misconduct, fewer of these incidents are likely to occur. 


Ways to Approach Racial Equity at Work 

• Ask for employee input about making workplaces more inclusive for their respective 
communities. Invest in organization-wide training by trainers who are experts in anti-



racism and organizational change. This is the best way to close gaps in cultural 
knowledge while also making employees of all races feel that their words have value. 
• Ensure your hiring practices emphasize diverse recruitment. Employees of color often 
encounter additional barriers, such as name discrimination, so it is important for 
employers to be proactive in making sure that hiring processes are equitable and free 
from bias. 
• Encourage your Human Resources department to advance their cultural competency in 
the wake of potential sexual misconduct. Sexual misconduct can be motivated by gender 
and race. This can include sexually explicit comments about the victim’s race and gender. 
It is important for the Human Resources department to take an intersectional perspective 
when processing these reports to ensure all potential harassment behaviors are included. 
If your workplace does not have a Human Resources department, the responsibility of 
cultural competency should fall on the managers, supervisor(s), or leadership that 
typically process these reports. 
• Ensure pay equity is an organization-wide standard. Members of racial minorities and 
women often see a discrepancy in pay between themselves and their White, male 
counterparts for the same or similar work. Organizations can conduct regular Pay Equity 
Audits to ensure all employees are paid fairly. 


Additional Resources 

South Carolina Race Equity and Inclusion (REI) Partnership. (2019). A practitioner’s guide for 
promoting race equity and inclusion in the workplace. Children’s Trust of South Carolina. 
https://scchildren.org/wp-
content/uploads/Practitioners_Guide_to_Promoting_REI_in_the_Workplace_web.pdf 

Work Places Respond to Domestic & Sexual Violence. (n.d.). Workplace toolkit: Resources for 
employers or managers [Webpage]. https://www.workplacesrespond.org/resource-
library/workplace-toolkit/ 

References 

McCulloch, A. (2021, June 7). Businesses with racial equity achieve 58% higher revenues. 
Personnel Today. https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/businesses-with-racial-equity-achieve-58-
higher-revenues/ 

Workplaces Respond. (2019, September 3). 5 ways training can help prevent sexual harassment 
in your restaurant. https://www.workplacesrespond.org/media/5-ways-training-can-help-
prevent-sexual-harassment-in-your-restaurant/