Bystander Intervention 

Bystander intervention is an important strategy to disrupt harm in the workplace and in life. This page is meant to give you access to tools to help you confront and combat problematic behaviour in your workplace. This is only a quick overview of strategies that you can employ- it is by no means complete.

Bystander Intervention is when someone who is witnessing, but not being directly targeted by, harassment, assault, or other harmful behaviour, gets involved to disrupt or stop the harm. For example, if you are acting in a show and hear the director demeaning or berating the stage manager, you can intervene. You can also intervene if you are an audience member witnessing a fellow audience member spitting at an usher. Even though it might not be your department, or your specific job, you still have the power to let someone know that abusive and harmful behaviour will never be tolerated. You can employ bystander intervention tools anywhere, both in and out of the workplace, to help make our community a safer place for everyone.

The most important consideration for bystander intervention is safety- your own safety, and the safety of the people involved. It might not always be physically or emotionally safe for you to intervene, and that is okay. With the following tools at your disposal, you can better assess what level of intervention you are most comfortable with. When you are witnessing harm, take a breath and assess the situation, to ensure you are choosing the best intervention strategy. Remember that resources like the police might not always be a safe choice. Additionally, while capturing an incident on your phone may prove helpful as documentation, this is not, in itself, an intervention.

The following helpful phrases have been adapted from Anti-Racism Response Training (A.R.T.) program, developed by Dr. I. Ishiyama, 2014. Here are some potential responses for when you hear a harmful comment:

  • Interrupt/Interject: “Stop what you’re saying.” “Hold on a sec!”

  • Express your concern: “I’m concerned about what you just said.” “What I’m hearing is concerning. Can we talk about it?”

  • Describe the comment as harmful: “I’m not sure if you realize this, but what you just said is harmful.” “That is a discriminatory comment.” “Ouch! That comment is hurtful.”

  • Approaching the comment with curiosity: “What did you mean by that?” “Can you explain your comment? I need clarity.” “Can you repeat that?”

  • Disagree: “I don’t think that’s a fair/true statement.” “I disagree with what you just said.”

  • Encourage reflection: “Did you really mean that?” “What’s going on for you that made you think that statement was OK?”

Always check in with the person who was targeted to make sure they are alright. Here are some support phrases you can use once the initial situation has been diffused:

  • “I believe you.”

  • “I am here for you.”

  • “Your emotions are valid.”

  • “I’m sorry this is happening to you. It isn’t your fault.”

  • “I appreciate your trust in me in sharing this experience.”

  • “Is there anything I can do to make you feel more comfortable?”

Special thanks to Jess Fisher of OUT Saskatoon, the USSU Women’s Centre, and SACE (Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton) for additional learning and context.

The 4 Ds of Bystander Intervention are Direct, Distract, Delay, and Delegate. Here is a helpful infographic from the American Friends Service Committee. DESC is a conflict resolution strategy that is best employed in one-on-one interventions. DESC stands for:

  1. Describe: Reframe the situation in objective terms

  2. Express: Tell them why you’re concerned

  3. Specify: Explain what you would like this person to do differently in future

  4. Consequences: Highlight the potential impact of their actions

Here is an overview of DESC with examples from Yale University.