#MeToo: a journey towards a harassment-free workplace

On 15 October 2017, an American actress, Alyssa Milano, tweeted: “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet”. Everyone knows what happened next. The Twitter message went viral and triggered one of the largest contemporary movements against abuse of power, assault and harassment. This social movement is continuous and ongoing, digital and global, uniting and encouraging thousands of women and men to speak out and act against sexual harassment and assault. The problem of sexual harassment and misconduct in the workplace is complex and needs to be tackled from many different directions. This guide is an output of the research project “#MeToo: how the social movement holds organisations and individuals accountable for the abuse of power in the workplace” and a part of an ESRC Festival of Social Sciences event on 8 November 2019. The guide aims to discuss various perspectives to halting the abuse of power, sexual assault and harassment, improve accountability for breaches, and empower people with new knowledge, ideas, ways to seek help and support, join campaigns and calls to action.