We like to think workplace harassment is a problem of the past – but the numbers tell a different story.

In Canada, nearly half of women and almost a third of men report experiencing harassment or assault at work. Despite major investments in training, it’s clear that too few programs drive real engagement or meaningful cultural change.

So where are we falling short, and what will it take to move the needle?

In this episode of Dialogue with the Dean, Julian Birkinshaw sits down with Shannon Rawski, Ivey Assistant Professor of Organizational Behaviour and a leading scholar on workplace sexual harassment, to explore why harassment training so often misses the mark – and how organizations can build cultures that truly make a difference.

Drawing on more than two decades of research, Rawski reveals how workplace cultures can normalize harmful behaviour under the guise of “just joking,” why compliance-driven programs can backfire, and how immersive tools like virtual reality (VR) can help employees better recognize and respond to harassment.

The discussion extends to Rawski’s latest book, What the #MeToo Movement Highlights and Hides about Workplace Sexual Harassment: Spotlights and Shadows, an in-depth examination of how #MeToo advanced the dialogue on workplace harassment but left important blind spots unaddressed.

Honest, urgent, and deeply practical, this conversation challenges business leaders to move beyond checkbox compliance and instead build cultures of genuine respect, accountability, and safety.

If you are experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace, please remember that you are not alone and that support is available. The following resources can provide guidance and assistance:

-              Your Company’s HR team

-              The Ontario Human Rights Commission

-              Ontario Network of Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Treatment Centres

-              Assaulted Women’s Helpline

In this episode: 

1:19: A scholar ahead of her time
 3:15: It’s all fun and games…until someone gets hurt
 6:17: What to do when humor crosses the line
 9:25: The problem with most harassment training
 13:17: Could VR be the future of harassment training?
 17:09: When VR enters the Ivey classroom
 18:45: Why we still need to talk about #MeToo
 21:43: How to step in as a bystander – at every level

To learn more about the research discussed in this episode, please visit: 

The Devil is in the Details: Sexual Harassment e-Training Design Choices and Perceived Messenger Integrity:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10551-023-05479-w

It’s All Fun and Games Until Someone Gets Hurt: An Interactional Framing Theory of Work Social Sexual Behavior:
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3976535 

Sexual Harassment Bystander Training Effectiveness: Experimentally Comparing 2D Video to Virtual Reality Practice:
https://journals.aom.org/doi/10.5465/AMBPP.2022.139 

The direct and indirect effects of organizational tolerance for sexual harassment on the effectiveness of sexual harassment investigation training for HR managers:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/hrdq.21329