BetterBrave: A Website That Helps Women Combat Sexual Harassment In The Workplace

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The U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission defines workplace sexual harassment as “unwelcome sexual advances or conduct of a sexual nature which unreasonably interferes with the performance of a person’s job or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.” And while a recent survey has shown that 1 in 3 women has been sexually harassed at work, only 29 percent have reported it.

Fortunately, a new online resource called BetterBrave is trying to help lower these statistics and combat sexual harassment in the workplace.

What It Is

Launched in July, BetterBrave serves as a comprehensive guide that breaks down U.S. laws regarding workplace sexual harassment into everyday language and what to do if you experience it.

The site was founded by Silicon Valley entrepreneurs Grace Choi, Tammy Cho and Annie Shin. According to a recent Medium article, Choi says the idea came about after reading a blog post by former Uber employee Susan Fowler, who was allegedly sexually harassed at work. In order to understand the full landscape of the issue, they talked to targets of harassment, Human Resource departments, founders, investors and employment lawyers.

These findings were encapsulated into 5 conclusions:

  1. Most people don’t know what to do when they are the target or witness of sexual harassment.
  2. HR is not always your friend.
  3. Take advantage of free consultations from employment lawyers.
  4. Document everything.
  5. Retaliation is illegal.

How it Works

BetterBrave walks you through 4 main topics:

  1. The most common reasons why people don’t report workplace sexual harassment,
  2. What you should do before reporting an incident to HR,
  3. Why you should connect with employment lawyers ASAP,
  4. And free resources for you to use moments after you experience harassment.

The main page of BetterBrave is a letter from the site’s creators, and establishes a tone of validation, understanding and comfort. It also brights light to their mission statement: “We hope our guide empowers you to ask questions, get advice, and take action … Let our voices be heard. The more we speak up, the more we can push for change.”

BetterBrave also lays out several options for women to report harassment, gives a clear outline of rights they are entitled to, and offers to connect women with lawyers across the country for a free consultation. There’s also an FAQ page that details what a typical HR investigation looks like, how much evidence is needed, when legal action should be taken against a company, if you should get the press involved, and who is ultimately at fault for sexual assault.

Combating sexual assault isn’t just a job for targets. BetterBrave is also in the process of developing a guide for allies of sexual assault. You can sign up to get notifications when it comes out here.

Final Thoughts

BetterBrave is an important online resource for the fight against workplace sexual assault. It is clear, comprehensive, informational, and most of all, empathetic. Even if you are not a target of workplace sexual assault, anyone can visit BetterBrave to learn about the problem of workplace sexual assault before attempting to solve it.

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