GWA, ChowNow, and The SAFE Institute Launch New Initiative to Combat Sexual Harassment

Hospitality industry workers report instances of sexual harassment at a higher rate than that of any other industry, but a new initiative aims to change that in Austin.

Good Work Austin, ChowNow, and The SAFE Institute have teamed up to offer free sexual harassment prevention training to owners, managers, and employees of Austin’s restaurants, bars, and coffee shops.

Thanks to a sponsorship from ChowNow, and discounted training sessions provided by SAFE, Good Work Austin member businesses are able to train their teams at no cost. The training uses examples and scenarios specific to hospitality, and equips business owners and managers with the tools they need to prevent sexual harassment and respond to instances of sexual harassment by employees or patrons.

“At ChowNow, we’re not just in the food business, we’re in the people business,” said Anna Tauzin, Senior Director of Industry Relations at ChowNow. “We’re excited to help Austin’s local restaurants thrive by helping them provide safe and healthy places to do what they do best.”

Good Work Austin and The SAFE Institute have worked together in the past to connect small businesses to training opportunities. But now with the support of ChowNow, those opportunities are quickly expanding to reach even more businesses.

Nine Good Work Austin member businesses have already participated in the training, and additional training sessions will be scheduled both in-person and on Zoom over the next several months.

“Our team really valued the information that was provided and we feel we have a better understanding of how to protect our employees and respond to reports of harassment or violence that may occur,” Bufalina Due Partner Rania Zayyat said. “More than anything, we appreciate the work that SAFE is doing to educate and empower teams about the importance of having policies around harassment in the workplace. Building brave spaces for our employees by having clearly communicated policies and outlets for reporting is extremely valuable.”

“The feedback I received from my team is that they felt empowered after the training and have a better awareness for how to communicate and respect others’ boundaries,” West Pecan Coffee + Beer Owner Mary Foss said.

The next training sessions will be on Tuesday, July 12th and Monday, August 1st, with additional training sessions being held each month after that. Hospitality businesses interested in participating in any of these industry-specific training sessions can contact Good Work Austin at info@goodworkaustin.org.