Past Events
Respect at Work events are valuable learning opportunities designed to engage and educate project partners, employer and union representatives, and the public. Discussions and workshops are led by researchers and industry experts, focusing on harassment and violence at work. Click on the titles below to expand the section and learn more about our past events, including summaries, resources, and participant comments.
September 16 & 17, 2024 (Bilingual)
Delivered In-person
Our bilingual Symposium - Collaborating to Prevent & Respond to Harassment & Violence at Work – brought together labour groups, employers, government, academics, community-based organizations, and others with responsibility and interest in preventing and responding to harassment and violence at work. Sessions, themes, and conversations were engaging, varied, and reflective of current trends in the field. The Symposium successfully provided a space where people could connect and share knowledge. Attendees left feeling both inspired and better equipped to further their efforts in preventing and responding to harassment and violence at work.
Symposium Programs; ENGLISH [PDF] & FRENCH [PDF]
Attendee feedback
"I was honored to be a part of the symposium, and I learned so much from the sessions."
"It was very informative thank you for all the work behind this great event."
"The team did an excellent job putting together an insightful event. It was wonderful to connect with others working in the field."
"I appreciated the overview provided by each speaker as it helped me understand how current legislation that protects. employees came to be. What is working and what needs to be considered further."
April 24, 2024 (English) & June 5, 2024 (Bilingual)
Delivered virtually
This session is designed as a collaborative effort to equip employer and union representatives with practical tools for conducting risk assessments aimed at preventing harassment and violence, focusing on federally regulated workplaces. For this session, we seek to foster a sense of shared understanding of sexual harassment, its various forms, and the practical tools necessary for risk assessment to safeguard work environments. We will explore the common and specific risk factors in different workplace settings and how they can be prevented with the involvement of all parties including human resources, equity and diversity teams, occupational health and safety representatives, and union representatives. We will focus on five practical steps in your workplaces to implement risk assessment and prevent sexual harassment.
Full outline; ENGLISH [PDF] & FRENCH [PDF]
Attendee feedback
"There was a great mix of engagement and sharing of information. I enjoyed the case studies, the group work, and the inclusion of different facilitation styles and voices."
"I found the information about International Labour Organization (ILO) [C190] and the way in which it was broken down and transferred to Canada’s landscape to be very helpful."
"I valued the discussions I had with other people from different backgrounds and work cultures. I learned a lot from this session."
May 15, 2025 (Bilingual)
Delivered virtually
This impactful session focused on the issue of domestic violence and how workplaces can support survivors of domestic violence.
Key objectives of the session included:
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Raising awareness about different forms of domestic violence and its relevance as a workplace issue
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Supporting employers in understanding their legal responsibilities when domestic violence affects the workplace
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Introducing the Recognize-Response-Refer model as a framework for offering workplace support
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Providing practical tools and guidance for developing workplace policies, conducting risk assessments, training managers, and supporting affected employees.
The session featured expert-led presentations, group discussions, and interactive exercises to equip participants with actionable strategies and deeper understanding.
To learn more about this session, download the full outline
Attendee feedback
“Thank you for such a fulsome presentation. I learned so many valuable insights.”
“It was very helpful to share our experiences with domestic violence at work.”
Offered virtually in English and bilingually in 2025
This seminar focused on how workplaces can apply Organizational Justice and Equitable Management models to their organization’s prevention and response efforts related to harassment and violence at work. This relatively novel application can help think about improving prevention efforts and systemic change in concrete ways.
Active learning strategies (case study, group discussions, individual activities) were used to reflect on and examine existing prevention and response efforts and to develop new strategies to build a preventative framework for long-term and sustainable change. The interactive environment offered participants opportunities to engage in discussions, share ideas, and gain insights to help develop a tailored preventative strategy for their unique organizational context.
To learn more about this session, download the full outline
Attendee feedback
“The session was structured to facilitate engagement and discussion through a combination of materials and interactive elements. The workbook was integrated with the slides, allowing participants to follow along and work through key concepts during the workshop. Having a small group of participants allowed for discussions and an opportunity to engage with each other and discuss the content. Breakout rooms and case studies further enriched the learning experience, ensuring a dynamic and interactive format that encouraged collaboration and practical application.”
“Incorporating the case study was highly effective; It not only humanized the topic but also enabled the group to assign meaningful context to it.”
“The speaker was educational and very supportive.”
Offered virtually in English and bilingually in 2024 & 2025
This webinar focused on understanding why bystanders might choose not to intervene when faced with situations of harassment and violence at work. It included discussions on
1) social psychological factors that influence bystanders’ behaviours and decision and 2) how understanding psychological processes of bystanders can strengthen bystander training to better prevent and address harassment and violence at work.
This webinar was recorded and is available in
Attendee feedback
“I found the examples of situations and how to handle them very useful.”
“Great presentation! Very informative and timely.”
Offered virtually and in-person in English in 2024 & 2025
This interactive workshop focused on a case study that demonstrated how silencing of workers who experience harassment and violence can take many forms, ranging from covert to overt. It also focused on how silencing and retaliation are often interrelated and how the organizational context is key in creating and understanding experiences of harassment and violence.
To learn more about this session, download the full outline
Attendee feedback
“The session was so informative and relatable. It speaks volumes that you had ...women with significant time in [organization] engage in conversation. Well done!”
Offered virtually in English and bilingually in 2025
This interactive workshop used a case study to demonstrate how forms of harassment and violence are interrelated and can occur simultaneously. It focused on the continuum of violence and showed the escalating nature of harassment and violence at work and the importance of prevention and early intervention.
To learn more about this session, download the full outline
Attendee feedback
“It was helpful to learn that training is not a cost; it is an investment to organizations! It was very interesting to actually see how the behaviour escalates through the use of the continuum. Intervening early on in the process of harassment is key!”
“Just talking about workplace harassment and bullying helps alleviate the situations we are dealing with on a day to day basis at work.”
Offered virtually in English and bilingually in 2025
This interactive workshop used five real-life “grey area” cases to unpack how sexual harassment shows up in less obvious—but legally and culturally significant—ways. It focused on examining how gender and rape myths, power dynamics, and stereotypes shape outcomes and asked participants to reflect on where harassment policies and practices fall short.
To learn more about this session, download the full outline
Attendee feedback
“It was helpful to have a comparison of answering case studies from first impression of those participating but ultimately to understand the legal standpoint.”
“I gained a better understanding that sexual harassment isn’t always overt. There are behaviours that can touch on it to poison the work environment.”