Sexual harassment remains a growing concern among HR professionals—particularly in the tech field.
At HR Options we practice what we teach. We are a team of professionals with women and men in positions of authority; supporting and encouraging a healthy workplace environment free from harassment of all kinds. HR Options strongly believes that companies can—and should—empower and work with Human Resources to set the tone for a positive company culture, and be proactive in addressing harassment concerns for all employees.
As we watched NBC’s Megyn Kelly interview six women from Silicon Valley who are standing up to fight against the tech industry’s “bro culture”—one that intimidates, harasses and then tries to silence women who speak up against harassment—we were discouraged and frustrated that this behavior is still so common. HR Options continues to reach out to our partners to provide guidance, best practices, and support to combat this abusive workplace culture.
Fear of retaliation.
In the wake of ex-Uber employee Susan Fowler’s now infamous blog post, where she revealed that her Uber team manager propositioned her for sex, more women are speaking out about this issue.
But the issue, and the process to prevent and resolve sexual harassment in the workplace, is complicated by the people who are supposed to support employees: human resources.
According to Fowler, when she went to Uber’s HR department to let them know about the harassment, she alleges that they wouldn’t look into the matter because this was the manager’s “first offense.” And Fowler further maintains that HR told her that he was a “high performer” so they wouldn’t feel comfortable giving her manager more than a warning, as this was probably just an “innocent mistake” on his part.
Of the women Kelly spoke with in her report about sexual harassment in the tech field, all six revealed that they were harassed in the workplace. They didn’t feel comfortable talking about it previously due to fear of retaliation—of losing their job, losing funding for their business, gaining a reputation in the tech industry of being someone who’s just whining.
And when they did talk about it to colleagues they were told to suck it up, things happen. What did they expect?
All for reporting and standing up to unwanted sexual advances by someone, usually a male, in a position of power.
The women described their experiences to Kelly, using words like panic. Shock. Shame. "It’s devastating...it can really take an emotional toll,” they admit. “I wish I didn’t have to talk about it, but a I also feel like—if I don’t say something, who will?”
What would you do if this happened to you? Or a coworker? A friend?
HR Options can help you prevent harassment in your workplace.
HR Options new online Harassment Prevention Training Class, designed specifically for employers to comply with California AB 1825, is an engaging, interactive training designed by our expert HR consultants and reviewed by top employment law firms. Learn how to recognize harassment in the workplace, and how to respond to harassment complaints by your employees. Don’t wait until one of your employees has been harassed to take action. Be proactive. Take steps now.
Kelly's parting advice is something that shouldn’t need to be stated aloud. But we’re repeating it anyway:
“If you’re in a position of power over someone, don’t hit on them. Period. And if you’re a woman facing sexual harassment, remember there is safety in numbers. Reach out to other women. The odds are you are not alone.”
Written by Alison Peters
Lead Project Manager, HR Options
No comments:
Post a Comment