Expert Says Addressing Sexual Misconduct the Right Thing for Employees and the Business
Discussions about sexual harassment continue to surface in light of the Me Too and Time’s Up movements. What can businesses do to protect their reputation, value, employees and clients?
Businesses in Atlantic Canada are not immune to sexual misconduct allegations. Earlier this month, The Coast reported that popular Dartmouth, N.S., cafe Two If By Sea cut ties with co-owner Zane Kelsall after allegations of sexual misconduct.
In New Brunswick, data from Corporate Research Associate published on Wednesday showed one-fourth of adults have experienced sexual harassment. The percentage is higher among women, with 35% of women in the province indicating they’ve been sexually harassed.
“The likelihood of experiencing sexual harassment in New Brunswick is similar to that of Atlantic Canada overall (26% of residents overall, and 41% of women),” the company said in a release.
Carmen Hivon, a workplace conflict resolution consultant who most recently led Université de Moncton’s committee on sexual violence policy, said the number could be much higher because many incidents in and out of the workplace go unreported.
“There’s a lot that people don’t even recognize something is inappropriate or unwanted. It’s still part of the way things are,” she said.
Hivon currently works as an independent consultant for private companies and larger institutions. But she used to serve as the executive director of Moncton crisis shelter Crossroads for Women from 2005 to 2009.
In her career, she has seen workplace conflict and harassment majorly affecting the mental and physical health of employees, leading them to eventually quit their jobs.
Hivon said there are some key ways businesses can address sexual misconduct allegations. Most importantly, they have to be proactive.
Educate and Raise Awareness
Hivon said there’s a need for education about what is misconduct or harassment, and what isn’t. But it all comes down to consent.
She gave the example of someone who doesn’t like to be touched. Something like an innocent tap on the shoulder to say ‘good job,’ in itself, is not harassment. But if the person has expressed her dislike of being touched and that wish isn’t being respected, that tap could turn into harassment.
She encourages businesses to have open discussions about what’s appropriate and what’s not.
Have Internal Policies and Proper Reporting Mechanisms
“There’s a huge cost if [sexual misconduct] goes public or if it goes to social media. So, [businesses] need to have an internal policy and people well-trained to properly address those situations, not hide those situations, try to find a way to address the situation and to have it clear that it’s not the victim that’s responsible for the action,” Hivon said.
The policy needs to indicate a clear complaint process, investigation and consequences to those found guilty, she said.
Hivon said the Me Too movement is bringing attention to sexual harassment and misconduct issues. And businesses shouldn’t feel immune from the costly consequences of not addressing allegations properly.
Companies including Guess and Wynn Resorts faced share losses after sexual harassment allegations surfaced. Others, like Netflix, faced losses after cutting ties with Kevin Spacey, the star of popular show House of Cards following allegations against him.
On the other hand, businesses that do address allegations and make concrete moves to punish the perpetrator gain credibility in the eyes of consumers, Hivon said.
Speak Up (And Listen)
“The first thing is to not close your eyes. You see it, you need to do something about it. And in order to do something about it, it needs to be safe for you and for the person who’s involved,” Hivon said.
Whether you’re an employee, a human resources manager or a business owner, Hivon said it’s important to take every sexual misconduct allegation seriously. She also said it’s important to call out inappropriate comments or conduct when it’s safe. If it’s not safe, she encourages relaying the information to someone the witness or the victim trusts.
It needs to be reported. Those that don’t know that their conduct is inappropriate or it’s a misconduct, they need to be aware of it,” she said. “If they already knew [it’s wrong], then there’s a need to address that.”
This will help alleviate what Hivon calls the rape culture that she says remains widespread in workplaces and hinders victims from reporting misconduct. Rape culture refers to a societal reaction that blames the victim, protects the perpetrator – especially if they’re in a position of power, and stay silent upon seeing misconduct. Even the victims themselves tend to blame themselves first, Hivon said.
“It’s kind of a social reaction where people, even close people say, ‘really, you put yourself in trouble. So just deal with it.'”
Conduct Thorough Investigation
Hivon said in taking every allegation seriously, companies should carry out a thorough investigation and listen to all sides of the story. She notes that although most abusers in the workplace are men, women can also be perpetrators of sexual harassment.
“The employer should address those situations in a respectful way. It’s not because someone reports [an incident] that it’s automatically a misconduct. So there’s a need to have someone really strong about it and can hear both stories and it needs to be investigated.”
Have Clear Consequences For Perpetrators
Once the investigation is carried out, the person in the wrong should see real consequences, Hivon said.
“I’ve seen many situations where [the Human Resources manager] just take that employee and move them into another position, another office or within another group because there were so many complaints. But it’s never real consequences,” she said.
“Sometimes it’s just a letter in their employee file, but what the heck? It’s not something that encourages people to keep reporting the misconduct. And so, it just keeps going.”
At the end of the day, Hivon said the issue of sexual misconduct, harassment and assault affect everyone in the company.
“Everybody needs to open up the discussion in each of their teams and workplaces to be more clear on what is okay and what’s not. It’s everybody’s business.”