Today is ‘Pink Shirt Day.’
Honestly, I’ve never been a fan of the label because it shifts focus from the real purpose of today—raising awareness of bullying and harassment and generating funds for anti-bullying programs. Today is really Anti-Bullying Day.
Bullying (and harassment, and the associated violence) is something I care deeply about. Quietly, I admit. I haven’t taken to the streets in protest or flooded social media with my thoughts, but as someone who was a victim of bullying in my teenage years, I know firsthand how deeply it can shape a person’s life. Some of those impacts, I’m only now fully understanding at 46.
It’s one of the reasons I started ethree.While my experience with bullying happened in school rather than in the workplace, and I was fortunate to have mostly positive work experiences with great leaders (major props to Emily Walton (née Williams), Steve Kearns, Tamara Rogers, and Sandy Facey for being amazing role models), I know that’s not the case for many. In today’s world, workplaces often replace the close-knit communities we once had at home. When someone feels uncomfortable, excluded, or bullied at work, the impact is wide-ranging and long-lasting.
I started ethree to help organizations create workplaces where people can bring their true selves (within reason, of course), learn about themselves, and grow through support and encouragement—not criticism and shutdowns. And I like to think we’ve made an impact in that space. At the very least, we’ve heard that feedback.
Maya Angelou’s brilliantly simple phrase, "When we know better, we do better," has always guided me in this work. It’s easy to berate those who bully, but I believe that when we truly know better, we do better.
That doesn’t mean not realizing your behavior is exclusionary or bullying negates the impact or lessens the need for change. But in our work on culture, inclusion, and bullying, we’ve always approached it through education and discussion.
I remember delivering a respectful workplace session for a group of about 35 people. One man in the room said very little—which, as many of you know, is tough to do in one of my workshops. But he was clearly paying attention, so I let it be.
At the end of the session, after everyone else had left, he approached me and said:
"So, what do I do now? I guess I’m a bully. Half the things you listed—I do them. So, what do I do now?"
That was one of the most courageous moments I’ve witnessed. It takes real strength to confront yourself, acknowledge your behavior, and decide to change. When we know better, we can start to do better.
But I’ll be honest—the statistics today give me pause. The world is becoming less empathetic, less kind. Our leaders are being described in the media with words like cruel and chaotic—exactly the kind of behavior we are trying to move away from.
The premise of “when we know better, we do better” only works when people actually care about doing better. And while, in my experience, most workplace issues stem from a lack of awareness rather than intentional cruelty, the broader trend is concerning.
We can’t stop now. In a world that is losing sight of empathy and kindness, we have to work harder and do more.
So, if you wore pink today—good for you. Raising awareness matters. But I’d also ask you to take more action.
I didn’t wear pink today. What I did do was donate to Bullying Canada.
That’s not to say you have to donate—that’s not always feasible. But I do encourage you to go beyond today.
- How do we demonstrate kindness? (and I don’t mean being soft—you can hold people accountable and do all the tough people stuff while still being kind)
- Are we speaking up when something doesn’t seem right?
- Are we supporting those who foster kindness and inclusivity in our communities—including our workplaces?
If you wore pink today—great. What will you do tomorrow?