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Episode 9 — Tina Tchen: How to Ensure Women’s Safety in the Workplace

Tina Tchen is the president and CEO of TIME’S UP Now and TIME’S UP Foundation, Co-Chair of the United State of Women, and former assistant to President Barack Obama, executive director of the White House Council on Women and Girls, and chief of staff to First Lady Michelle Obama.

In this episode, Ms. Tchen and Dr. Paryavi discuss the state of women’s safety and equality in the workplace, and share advice on how to build a world where workplaces are safe, fair, and dignified for all. Ms. Tchen also shares powerful insights from her own leadership journey.

Released: March 31, 2021

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Tina Tchen is the president and CEO of TIME'S UP Now and TIME'S UP Foundation, Co-Chair of the United State of Women, and former assistant to President Barack Obama, executive director of the White House Council on Women and Girls, and chief of staff to First Lady Michelle Obama.

EPISODE 9 NOTES FROM MALIHEH PARYAVI, phd

Sexual harassment is pervasive across industries. None of us are immune and the odds are that you or someone you know has been impacted by sexual harassment in the workplace. In fact, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), up to 85 percent of women in the United States report having experienced sexual harassment at work. Most of these incidents go unreported and a new Time’s Up report shows that more than 70 percent of survivors who do speak out face subsequent retaliation.

These alarming statistics are symptoms of deep structural inequalities and the time has come to face them head-on and make lasting changes, once and for all. We each have a role to play, and to get advice on how we can make these changes, I had the honor of speaking with Ms. Tina Tchen on this episode. She is at the helm of TIME’S UP Now and the TIME’S UP Foundation, working to build a world where workplaces are safe, fair, and dignified for all women. She shares her inspiring journey as a trailblazer, her advice for employers, women leaders, and men in leadership, and her insights on how we can all join the efforts in ensuring women’s safety in the workplace. Please tune in and join us!

Episode Breakdown:

  • 01:03 - The many forms of sexual harassment in the workplace

  • 04:51 - The importance of including women in all aspects and levels of the workplace

  • 10:06 - Ms. Tchen’s leadership journey to the White House and to TIME’S UP

  • 14:59 - The impact of the pandemic on women’s employment and the workforce

  • 16:24 - The historical opportunity we have to create lasting change NOW

  • 19:14 - Advice for young women and women leaders

  • 26:26 - Exploring the root causes of sexual harassment and retaliation in the workplace

  • 32:16 - Shifting the culture and perceptions of gender roles and women in leadership

  • 37:51 - Safety on college campuses

  • 41:56 - Changing organizational cultures worldwide

  • 45:02 - Advice for employers, including a powerful message from a survivor of workplace sexual harassment

  • 48:42 - Advice for men in leadership

  • 51:53 - Vision for TIME’S UP going forward and how we can all get involved

More about tina tchen

Tina Tchen serves as president and CEO of TIME’S UP Now and the TIME’S UP Foundation, overseeing the organizations’ strategic plans to change culture, companies, and laws in order to make work safe, fair, and dignified for women of all kinds. In 2017, Tina co-founded the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund with Robbie Kaplan, Fatima Goss Graves, and Hilary Rosen; since then, the Fund has connected thousands of people to legal or PR support for sexual harassment across dozens of different industries.

A former assistant to President Barack Obama, executive director of the White House Council on Women and Girls, and chief of staff to First Lady Michelle Obama, Tina has worked to advance gender equality, particularly for working women. At the White House, Tina spearheaded the first-ever White House Summit on Working Families and helped form the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault.

Prior to taking the helm at TIME’S UP, Tina was a lawyer specializing in workplace culture, advising companies on gender inequity, sexual harassment, and diversity. She has served on numerous strategic advisory boards for organizations, businesses, and nonprofits, including the United State of Women, which she continues to co-chair.