By Uptown News

Lawyers Club invites all regional employers to adopt the Workplace Equity & Civility Initiative Commitment, a statement that the employer commits to strive for work environments free of sexual harassment and gender discrimination by adopting and enforcing policies that promote pay equity; respectful workplace speech, language and conduct; environments where employees feel safe to speak and report concerns; education for all employees and measurable strategies to evaluate the education’s effectiveness; and positive engagement from employees regarding these issues.

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Twenty local employers already have signed on to the Workplace Equity & Civility Initiative Commitment, including the San Diego City Attorney’s Office, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, Athena San Diego, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, and a number of law firms and nonprofit organizations.

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The Initiative began as a response to the #MeToo movement and brought together community leaders in a collaborative effort to address in a positive and productive way the means to stamp out workplace harassment while at the same time promoting equal pay in the workplace.

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Through the Initiative, Lawyers Club and its partners seek to inspire and empower companies to create workplace cultures that make San Diego America’s finest place to work. “Without pay equity, diversity and civility in the workplace, we cannot advance women in the workplace,” Lawyers Club President Elvira Cortez said. “We hope this Initiative will increase opportunities and create better workplaces for everyone in San Diego.”

“The employers who have already signed on to the commitment understand that accountability and education will lead to changes in the workplace that are difficult to address through legislation,” San Diego City Council President Pro Tem Barbara Bry said. “We already have laws on the books addressing these issues, but we still experience the same problems in the workplace. Through this initiative, we can work together to make San Diego more equitable for all of our region’s workforce.”

The Initiative provides resources for employers, including tool kits developed by Lawyers Club to provide information about workplace harassment laws, as well as workshops facilitated by the National Conflict Resolution Center. The workshops include: “The ART of Inclusive Communication,” which addresses how to cultivate inclusive communication in a diverse workforce; “The Exchange,” which provides tools for managers and supervisors to facilitate conversations between employees in conflict situations; and “The Bystander Challenge,” which covers how to empower bystanders to speak up when they see inappropriate conduct in the workplace.

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