So now it’s going to be a ‘thing’ if people can’t mind read? If you never lodge a complaint about harassment somehow it should STILL be addressed? Especially if you’re a female? What?
Scooping my jaw off the floor from the end of the article -
Lawrence is a former sexual harassment complaint investigator
There are going to be lots of cases which make people uncomfortable regards to both the actions of harassers, and the inaction of bosses/organizations. But it has to play out if we are ever going to have workplaces that are safer environments. Not a political issue - but a societal one. Am glad this came out, and if it takes the spotlight for even a former investigator to see/hear what she is being told, so be it. Do it publicly rather than acting to save face. It is the only way to move forward.
Well written story, Ms. McNeal. Kudos.
If you have multiple aides come to you to express their discomfort with your chief of staff you do something about it. Women are frequently afraid of lodging official complaints because the process is slow and staff can be replaced easily; a former sexual harassment complaint investigator should be able to pick up fairly obvious cues.
Running scared. She should resign.
Maybe she really, really likes her chief of staff.
She says she did something about it (although she doesn’t specify what). But I think this shows how badly the current system is stacked in favor of harassers. Remember that bit from earlier articles about needing 3 months of mediation and counseling before filing an official complaint. Anything she did would have to explicitly not involve the official mechanisms for dealing with harassment.
I think this speaks to culture of sexism we live in where even a trained sexual harassment investigator didn’t fully appreciate and address what was going on in her office. Just as we are so often hesitant to call something a hate crime unless they’re screaming slurs while assaulting the victim and have a long record of hate directed toward that group, we don’t want to call it sexual harassment unless the person is whipping out his penis and playing with himself.
As a former mid-level manager in both large and small companies, if there were any complaints about inappropriate comments and touching, we were required to report it, even if the victim said it was not true sexual harassment. Otherwise, the victim could later change his/her mind and potentially sue us (the non-reporting managers, who really did not want to be managers in the first place) for complicity by not reporting the incident(s).
Lawrence was incorrect to not follow up on this.
You both have valid points. Somewhere in there is a balance to be struck. In terms of being a manager of people, you have to keep things tight these days, make sure you have documentation and evidence of the behavior. Telling an employee they are annoying is different from accusing them of sexual harassment. In this era, if it is not pinned down correctly, the manager and company can face pretty steep legal ramifications. This applies in any situation of bad behavior and not just sexual harassment in the workplace. And it is damn easy for the accused to turn the tables in that situation. In the past, I have found HR departments looking more towards avoiding conflict and protecting the company’s interest than eliminating the actual problem. Frustrating as hell for everyone but the accused.
Behind every toxic person in the workplace is an enabler. That is the only way they can exist.
Absolutely. When I was a manager I was constantly asking my people when they came in ‘Is this something you want me to do something about or are you just letting off steam?’ SOMETIMES they just want to vent and that is OK…otherwise, yes, there is documentation and paperwork involved for everyone.
“Brenda Lawrence, a former harassment complaint investigator for the federal government, introduced legislation recently to require congressional staffers to take an online course on sexual harassment.”
I am an Interior Department federal employee. We already have to do a comprehensive online training about sexual harassment every year and have for as long as I can remember. I’m guessing that this is the norm for all federal employees. Have Congressional staffers somehow been exempt all this time?
please don’t throw stuff at me…have we got to the point where there is a’ war on men’?? sometimes women harass other women, nor necessarily sexually…just give them a hard time if they don’t follow the dominant office clique.
take pictures , videos and record the acts.
'a war on men"?
If you don’t want things thrown at you, you had best share what you’re smoking.