Soteria Solutions Continues Workplace Assessment & Bystander Intervention Training at NOAA

DURHAM, N.H., November 2, 2021 -- Soteria Solutions, the leader in evidence-based solutions based on bystander intervention research, has secured a one-year contract with an optional three year extension with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to extend and expand its efforts to create and maintain a safe and respectful working and living environment. The scope of the work includes employee and contractor surveys followed by a phased rollout of bystander intervention in-person and online training to identify and react to incivility, harassment, violence and discrimination.

Soteria Solutions will lead the effort as the catalyst for change to enable NOAA to accomplish its commitment to provide a workplace free from sexual assault and sexual harassment. NOAA is a vast organization with staff of 12,000 individuals, more than 10,000 contractors and nearly 6,800 scientists spread out across 600 locations globally. NOAA staff and contractors work in remote locations including the South Pole and on research vessels at sea with close working and living quarters. The challenges and complexities are unlike most organizations to develop and implement effective solutions to achieve safe and respectful working and living environments.

Soteria Solutions will develop and implement a Climate Assessment Survey and Training for NOAA’s Workplace Violence Prevention and Response (WVPR). Soteria Solutions will also work with the Office of Education’s Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions (EPP/MSI) Cooperative Science Centers (CSCs) .

The first part of the work will include a workplace assessment, the Climate Assessment Survey, to gather qualitative and quantitative attitudes and behaviors towards sexual harassment and assault. The in-depth Climate Assessment Surveys will then be analyzed to identify and prioritize risk areas for the bystander intervention training roll-out.

The training will then be rolled out to help staff and contractors learn bystander intervention skills. Soteria Solutions’ training is based on decades of bystander intervention research and will focus on increasing manager, supervisor, employee, contractor employee, and affiliate awareness of sexual assault and sexual harassment and provide them with the tools to prevent and respond to such behaviors.

NOAA's Workplace Violence Prevention and Response Manager, Kelley Bonner, commented, "We have been so pleased with our partnership with Soteria Solutions and look forward to continuing to make measurable progress across our organization to achieve a safe, respectful work environment for all."

The contract expands Soteria Solutions’ engagement with NOAA to include working with the Office of Education’s Educational Partnership Program. Included in this scope of work is assessing the mentoring, recruitment and hiring within the Educational Partnership Program so NOAA can implement strategies to focus on creating an equity-based workforce.

Soteria Solutions President Jane Stapleton noted, "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to continue working with Kelley and to work with NOAA’s team in the Educational Partnership Program. NOAA’s approach to creating and maintaining a safe and respectful working and living environment is progressive in its integrated, strategic approach to affecting sustainable change. The team at Soteria Solutions is excited to continue our partnership to help NOAA achieve its goals."

About Soteria Solutions

Soteria Solutions works with organizations, including higher education, government agencies and businesses, to achieve sustainable change by creating and maintaining safe and respectful learning, working and living environments void of incivility, harassment, violence and discrimination. Our evidence-based, customized solutions including our flagship program, Bringing in the Bystander®, are proven to be the most effective strategies to prevent and react to risky behaviors based on decades of bystander intervention research. Soteria Solutions has worked with more than 600 workplaces, colleges and high schools to activate bystanders and improve organizational frameworks to make integral, strategic advances. Soteria Solutions is located in Durham, New Hampshire.