Mar
30

Update on Smithsonian’s Anti-Harassment Efforts

Secretary Bunch recently offered an update on the Smithsonian’s Anti-Harassment efforts. Updates that pertain to Smithsonian Volunteers are outlined below.

In early March, the SI Civil Program published the Fiscal Year 2021 Report on Harassment and Workplace Culture, which presents high-level data on reported incidents of harassment.

Our future plans include:

  • Providing the SI Civil Program with the necessary resources to support staff. We are currently recruiting three additional positions which we expect to fill by the end of the fiscal year.
  • Creating a simple way to report harassment. The Office of Human Resources and the Office of the Chief Information Officer are working together to launch this effort in June. The user-friendly technology will facilitate anonymous reporting 24/7 online or via phone. This phone hotline will have live operators—speaking multiple languages—in addition to online reporting. Both methods will be linked to ensure an integrated case management system.
  • Delivering comprehensive mandatory training. Our colleagues in SI Civil are finalizing this training, which will be available to you via Moodle in late May. They are pairing this with the supervisory training that is beginning in April which will provide supervisors with the tools they need to respond to harassment complaints and maintain a culture of respect in the workplace.
  • Continuing to hold leadership accountable. The Deputy Secretary will be asking each Director to name a senior leader in each organization to champion our anti-harassment efforts.

We are able to launch these efforts over the next few months thanks to the efforts of many, including the Office of Human Resources, AFGE Local 2463, the SI-IDEA committee, the Sparking Change team, participants in the Palmer Leadership Development Program, and all of the many unit-level diversity and inclusion committees. 

Related posts:

Enhancing our Anti-Harassment Initiatives COVID-19 SquareCOVID-19 Team Update: Supporting a mask-friendly environment an upcoming changes COVID-19 SquareCOVID-19 Team Update: Information on Vaccine Mandate and Masking Options Our commitment to a safe workplace

Posted: 30 March 2022
About the Author:

Alex di Giovanni is primarily responsible for "other duties as assigned" in the Office of Communications and External Affairs. She has been with the Smithsonian since 2006 and plans to be interred in the Smithson crypt.