Workplace harassment is one of those issues that should have been solved by now. No matter how progressive our societies get, there seems to be a steady correlation between workplaces and harassment. Today we’ll talk about some of the most common forms of harassment at work, how to address it, and most importantly – how to prevent it from happening in the first place.
Sexual Harassment
We can’t talk about workplace harassment without mentioning sexual harassment first. It’s one of the primary forms of harassment that is happening all over the country as we speak. Over time, this issue went from being taboo to becoming a trigger for serious change.
Sexual harassment comes in all shapes and forms. It’s a common misconception that only women are victims of sexual harassment at work. Men are also having to deal with this problem. That being said, this issue is a serious one. Different organizations have their own definitions of what constitutes sexual harassment, but in most cases, it’s a serious offense that often triggers a broad investigation.
This form of harassment is best dealt with head-on by opening a line of communication with the offender, as well as the HR department. Do not let sexual harassment go unanswered.
Harassment Related to Sexual Orientation
Modern workplaces and organizations are much more open to the LGBTQ community than just two decades ago. That being said, there is still a lot of discrimination happening based on one’s sexual orientation. Discrimination and harassment of this type aren’t always overt.
In fact, in a massive number of cases, it is thinly veiled as something completely benign. Or at least that’s what it comes across the first time it happens. Fortunately, this type of targeted harassment is punished harshly in just about any serious organization out there.
As far as prevention goes, there are several things employers can do. The best thing to do is to raise awareness about the LGBTQ population by mandating a training course. Although it might sound like a band-aid solution, a well-structured training course can greatly boost awareness of LGBTQ issues, thus leading to a reduction in discrimination towards this group.
Harassment Through Religious Discrimination
Religions play a major role in many peoples’ lives. That being said, religion is still one of the largest points of friction between people all around the world. Harassment based on religion can occur between individuals who practice different religions, but also between atheists and theists. Where casual conversation ends and discrimination starts is often a blurred line in this particular case.
Most religious discrimination is subtle and comes in the form of offhand comments regarding one’s religious beliefs. No matter how small or large, this type of harassment leads to a hostile environment, which can snowball into a massive issue for the organization.
One of the more effective ways of dealing with this particular type of harassment is to set hard boundaries and ensure that everyone abides by the rules. No one should feel discriminated against at their place of work for any reason, including the religion they practice.
Racism and Xenophobia
Racism has been an ever-present issue in all aspects of life, including work. Fighting racism is an ongoing effort that has shown progress in recent decades. Experiencing racism in a work setting may not be as common as it once was, but it is still very much an issue.
Harassment based on race can be extremely subtle. Exclusion from group activities, inappropriate comments about specific facial features, or comments regarding one’s ‘curly hair’ can all be rooted in racism.
Confronting this type of behavior is imperative. Parties responsible for harassment need to be recognized and addressed through appropriate channels. In some cases racism or xenophobia is accidental. However, that is no excuse for prolonged harassment.
Personal Harassment (Bullying)
Workplace harassment doesn’t always have to stem from racial, religious, or similar differences. There are more than enough cases of personal, targeted harassment that can only be described as bullying.
Bullying in a working environment is indicative of a much larger issue at hand. If you’re suffering personal attacks from another employee, make sure to let your superiors know right away. Any organization with even a semblance of integrity will quickly resolve this issue. If not, be prepared to escalate your efforts to a higher level of authority.
Standing up to workplace harassment and discrimination is the best way to draw attention to the issue. Most organizations will do everything they can to solve such problems, but it all starts with one person standing their ground against injustice.
Some Ontario doctors have started offering a free shot that can protect babies from respiratory syncytial virus while Quebec will begin its immunization program next month.
The new shot called Nirsevimab gives babies antibodies that provide passive immunity to RSV, a major cause of serious lower respiratory tract infections for infants and seniors, which can cause bronchiolitis or pneumonia.
Ontario’s ministry of health says the shot is already available at some doctor’s offices in Ontario with the province’s remaining supply set to arrive by the end of the month.
Quebec will begin administering the shots on Nov. 4 to babies born in hospitals and delivery centers.
Parents in Quebec with babies under six months or those who are older but more vulnerable to infection can also book immunization appointments online.
The injection will be available in Nunavut and Yukon this fall and winter, though administration start dates have not yet been announced.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
-With files from Nicole Ireland
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Polio cases are rising ahead of a new vaccination campaign in Pakistan, where violence targeting health workers and the police protecting them has hampered years of efforts toward making the country polio-free.
Since January, health officials have confirmed 39 new polio cases in Pakistan, compared to only six last year, said Anwarul Haq of the National Emergency Operation Center for Polio Eradication.
The new nationwide drive starts Oct. 28 with the aim to vaccinate at least 32 million children. “The whole purpose of these campaigns is to achieve the target of making Pakistan a polio-free state,” he said.
Pakistan regularly launches campaigns against polio despite attacks on the workers and police assigned to the inoculation drives. Militants falsely claim the vaccination campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilize children.
Most of the new polio cases were reported in the southwestern Balochistan and southern Sindh province, following by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and eastern Punjab province.
The locations are worrying authorities since previous cases were from the restive northwest bordering Afghanistan, where the Taliban government in September suddenly stopped a door-to-door vaccination campaign.
Afghanistan and Pakistan are the two countries in which the spread of the potentially fatal, paralyzing disease has never been stopped. Authorities in Pakistan have said that the Taliban’s decision will have major repercussions beyond the Afghan border, as people from both sides frequently travel to each other’s country.
The World Health Organization has confirmed 18 polio cases in Afghanistan this year, all but two in the south of the country. That’s up from six cases in 2023. Afghanistan used a house-to-house vaccination strategy this June for the first time in five years, a tactic that helped to reach the majority of children targeted, according to WHO.
Health officials in Pakistan say they want the both sides to conduct anti-polio drives simultaneously.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of people with private health insurance would be able to pick up over-the-counter methods like condoms, the “morning after” pill and birth control pills for free under a new rule the White House proposed on Monday.
Right now, health insurers must cover the cost of prescribed contraception, including prescription birth control or even condoms that doctors have issued a prescription for. But the new rule would expand that coverage, allowing millions of people on private health insurance to pick up free condoms, birth control pills, or “morning after” pills from local storefronts without a prescription.
The proposal comes days before Election Day, as Vice President Kamala Harris affixes her presidential campaign to a promise of expanding women’s health care access in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to undo nationwide abortion rights two years ago. Harris has sought to craft a distinct contrast from her Republican challenger, Donald Trump, who appointed some of the judges who issued that ruling.
“The proposed rule we announce today would expand access to birth control at no additional cost for millions of consumers,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “Bottom line: women should have control over their personal health care decisions. And issuers and providers have an obligation to comply with the law.”
The emergency contraceptives that people on private insurance would be able to access without costs include levonorgestrel, a pill that needs to be taken immediately after sex to prevent pregnancy and is more commonly known by the brand name “Plan B.”
Without a doctor’s prescription, women may pay as much as $50 for a pack of the pills. And women who delay buying the medication in order to get a doctor’s prescription could jeopardize the pill’s effectiveness, since it is most likely to prevent a pregnancy within 72 hours after sex.
If implemented, the new rule would also require insurers to fully bear the cost of the once-a-day Opill, a new over-the-counter birth control pill that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved last year. A one-month supply of the pills costs $20.
Federal mandates for private health insurance to cover contraceptive care were first introduced with the Affordable Care Act, which required plans to pick up the cost of FDA-approved birth control that had been prescribed by a doctor as a preventative service.
The proposed rule would not impact those on Medicaid, the insurance program for the poorest Americans. States are largely left to design their own rules around Medicaid coverage for contraception, and few cover over-the-counter methods like Plan B or condoms.
