Connecting Campus and Workplace Sexual Violence

Image Credit: CHAD HIPOLITO/THE CANADIAN PRESS via Globe and Mail

According to this discussion about sexual violence on college campuses, about 90% of incidents are not reported. A culture exists that discourages victims to step forward and report instances of sexual violence, and I assert that this culture doesn’t exist solely on college campuses. I believe that the 90% statistic would probably hold true in many work organizations as well. Tragically, while some schools at least try to have a functioning system that addresses these issues (with varying degrees of success), many businesses don’t have the framework in place to address sexual violence with the grace and empathy that victims may need. You can read more about this at The Globe and Mail. 

Drawing the Connection Between School and Work Related Stress

According to this great New York Times article, the pressure to succeed is making school children experience anxiety and depression at alarmingly high rates and alarmingly young ages. The data in this article begs the question – if children in school are experiencing these levels of stress, what effects are our workplaces having on us? Last year, a Harvard study found that over 120,000 annual deaths in North America can be attributed to workplace stress in some way. If our school cultures are focused on getting into colleges above all else, as reflected in this article, then what are our workplace cultures focused on, and how is it impacting employees?

Art Credit: Lale Westvind for NYT