Deconstructing with Della: What's next for #metoo?
October 23, 2017
In my
many years as a crisis communication consultant, I believed within every
crisis, there was an opportunity. An opportunity to improve situations, have
better discussions and make positive changes in organizations.
The current
online movement of proclaiming sexual harassment with the #metoo symbol feels
like a big opportunity to change the dialogue at home, in the community, and in
the workplace. We know there is power when people band together over a cause
and this one has struck a serious chord.
In my consulting
work, I dealt with sexual harassment cases involving people in power using
their position to get sexual favours or take advantage of others.
In one
case the CEO got sexual with one of his staff. The Board, who hired me, was
devastated and wanted to do the right thing. The situation arose at the office
Christmas party, involved heavy drinking and was on display for all to see. The CEO was extremely remorseful, apologized to all employees publicly, took
sensitivity training and instituted new avenues for staff to report any
concerns. Many things changed in the
organization as a result of his inappropriate behaviour. The biggest impact
came from the CEO apologizing profusely and sincerely to the person involved (she
was not the complainant – it was other people who witnessed the inappropriate kissing
and touching who came forward) and all the staff. He also had to address his actions with his family, as
the Board suspended him until a plan was put in place and he agreed to all the
components. Obviously, in this case, the remorse of the individual went a long
way in creating a new level of expectations within the company.
The
situation was awkward for everyone involved but brought the issue of sexually inappropriate behaviour to the forefront. The conversations were open and uncomfortable
but effective. After that, I could not imagine anyone would dare to make sexual advances in that organization. Seeing the repercussions to the CEO, I believe the staff would feel empowered to
raise concerns.
As Jessica Valenti tweeted, "Me too. But more importantly: What now?". Awareness is a step but now the more
challenging conversations and actions need to happen. If the following data is any
indication, that conversation is critical:
"The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a government
agency responsible for processing the sexual harassment complaints that do get
reported, says nearly one-third of the
90,000 complaints received in 2015 included a harassment allegation — but the
agency notes that that number is far too low to reflect reality. They also
estimate that 75 percent of all workplace harassment incidents go unreported
altogether."
Of
course, this is a massive social and cultural issue but a logical next step is
having the difficult discussions, learning how to talk about this so people are
not victimized again (see Reporting on Rape and Sexual Violence: A Media Toolkit for Local and National Journalists to Better Media Coverage) and a guideline on changing language and behaviours.
To deconstruct: For any awareness movement to get traction and have impact, real conversations need to happen. The awareness and interest will never be higher than at the beginning. There is a need to seize the moment and speak truth to power in every situation, environment and workplace. Sexual harassment is not acceptable in any form. As Scott Rosenberg explained so powerfully in a recent Facebook post, being silent is not an option.
To deconstruct: For any awareness movement to get traction and have impact, real conversations need to happen. The awareness and interest will never be higher than at the beginning. There is a need to seize the moment and speak truth to power in every situation, environment and workplace. Sexual harassment is not acceptable in any form. As Scott Rosenberg explained so powerfully in a recent Facebook post, being silent is not an option.
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