Weinstein Case Highlights Difficulty Employees Face When Reporting Workplace Harassment Claims
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NPR had an excellent story yesterday about the problems that employees face in the workplace when they report sexual harassment:
"Former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein's ouster from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences following numerous allegations of sexual misconduct have prompted others on social media to open up about workplace harassment complaints that have gone unheeded.
Most employers in most industries have written policies on and procedures for reporting incidents of sexual harassment, and human resources officials are required to investigate those claims.
And while recent decades have seen a cultural shift and more education to help minimize sexual harassment, HR consultant Sharon Sellers says there is still a big gap between what should happen, and what actually does. One concern is that many people don't feel safe reporting claims.
"The employer should take every complaint seriously, and this is one area I see where it falls down," Sellers says."
Most employees don't want a lawsuit; they just want to be allowed to do their job without being sexually harassed. Companies do their employees (and their bottom line) a disservice by not building a strong HR department that has the resources and independence within the company to investigate harassment claims and, when necessary, speak truth to power within the company.
