Send a clear message to employees that rules against unwanted advances and outright sexual violence will be swiftly enforced. More importantly, give victims the security and confidence in your leadership to speak up and make a change.
A national restaurant chain saw enough headlines about rampant and unaddressed sexual harassment that leadership decided to make sure they provided a safe place to work and dine. With over 100 locations across several states, they knew that policies and training were not sufficient to protect their people from harassment, so they implemented a dedicated hotline and web reporting portal and launched a professionally designed campaign to make everyone aware of the policies and the company’s commitment to addressing these issues. In addition to finding out about several bad actors who had gone unaddressed without this formal effort, they were glad to hear positive reports from employees about their appreciation of the company’s commitment to this issue as well as the improved culture fostered by the new accountability.
Your attention to issues needs to grow not only with your knowledge that they’re going on but also the risk of damage that even a single incident can cause to your reputation and the life of a victim. Sexual harassment, as evidenced by the rise and persistence of the #MeToo movement is a persistent and intractable ill within many company cultures. To make it worse, many leaders are (willingly or unwillingly) ignorant to the pervasive threat it is to the safety of employees, customers, and the company as a whole. Caring compliance leaders and executives know that a policy signed at hire and a few slides on annual training are not enough to prevent managers and other employees without close oversight from abusing their power. A concerted effort to support the #MeToo movement and fight back against sexual harassment, sexual discrimination, and unwanted sexual advances in your company is the best way to decisively and actively fight against the damage this issue has and continues to cause to lives across companies and around the world.