The RESPECT project aims at bringing together researchers, employers, employees (and their representatives) and tech specialists to co-design and implement interventions that promote respect, equity and safety in workplaces. Building on an interdisciplinary approach (Social Sciences, Psychology, Data Science and Law), RESPECT will first map the prevalence, causes and consequences of workplace harassment and inequity across sectors and countries. Using participatory methods, the Consortium will develop and pilot new solutions, such as interactive training tools, AI-assisted reporting mechanisms and collaborative policy-development workshops not just for end users but together with them. This co-creation ethos will establish a robust evidence base (including an understanding of how intersecting factors like gender, age, ethnicity or disability shape these issues) and ensure interventions tailored to those on the ground, which will improve effectiveness and sustainability. In parallel, cutting-edge technology will be harnessed (e.g. mobile apps for anonymous reporting, analytics to detect risk patterns, virtual reality scenarios for empathy training) to amplify reach and impact, while safeguarding privacy and ethics at every step. By the project’s end, RESPECT will deliver evidence-based tools for employers, practitioners and policymakers: from validated training curricula and digital platforms to model workplace policies and actionable EU-level recommendations. Rigorous evaluation in pilot sites will also demonstrate measurable improvements (e.g. improved employee wellbeing indicators) and provide insights into “what works” in creating a culture of respect.

MKLab is responsible for the scientific and technical management of the RESPECT project, leading WP1–WP2 on ‘Project Management & Coordination’, WP10 on ‘Ethics Requirements’ and T6.3: ‘AI Harassment Detection Tool Development’. MKLab, in this context, monitors the project plan, as well as the governance of the Consortium, while supporting partners’ compliance with ethics and data management protocols. Finally, MKLab is responsible for the development of an explainable, bias-aware, NLP-based AI tool to detect and classify gender-based violence and sexual harassment in workplace communications, ensuring data privacy and informed consent.