Over the past month, the news media has been captivated by the ever-increasing onslaught of allegations against media mogul Harvey Weinstein.
The accusations range from the simply perverse to the violent and felonious. As Jeffrey Katzenberg, former Disney CEO and a business partner of Weinstein, stated in a letter regarding the allegations, the investigation has not demonstrated any acceptable behavior, only "degrees of horrible."
Weinstein's alleged criminal abuse of women is, sadly, not the most important part of the story. Had he kept his acts behind closed doors, we could dismiss him as a lone wolf and the issue would be resolved by, as Saturday Night Live said, a long stay in a men's-only involuntary treatment facility known as prison.
However, Weinstein's actions were the worst-kept secret in Hollywood. Comedians made jokes on TV shows regarding his lascivious behavior. Several of his victims went to the police, only to be rebuffed. According to one article, eight of Weinstein's victims entered into settlement agreements with him. Journalists attempted to write stories about his misdeeds that media outlets refused to run. His business community and peers gave his alleged acts tacit approval by silence and inaction.
The problem of plain-sight harassment extends beyond Hollywood into every work environment.
Instead of sharing the responsibility of treating this social ill, we rely upon the victims of harassment and abuse to bear the burden of bringing the matter to light and just adjudication.
This is grossly insufficient and unfair. Formal complaints of sexual harassment reflect only a fraction of incidents that occur in the workplace. On any given day, over 70 percent of workplace harassment incidents go unreported.
For those who do chose to come forward, there are often consequences. In a study conducted in 2003, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found that 75 percent of individuals who reported harassment experienced some form of retaliation.
This narrative plays out in each of the 30-plus complaints against Weinstein. A young actress would get a seat at the table with the mogul only to discover that the price of the opportunity required having to endure harassment and frequent physical assault. If one of these individuals sought to expose him, the invitation was revoked.
Despite these statistics, the workplace model for dealing with harassment remains focused on the victim's complaints.
In the modern work environment, we can do better than reflect the biases and challenges present in society at large.
We have to create a work environment at odds with mainstream culture: An office that understands silence does not equate to consent. An office that does not place the burden of ending sexual harassment solely on the shoulders of the victims.
Companies must move the dialogue on sexual harassment from a chapter in the handbook into the conscience of each of its employees. This transition is not done solely by yearly training focused on how to recognize legal risk and address a lawsuit. Companies must move to shared accountability of those who witness this improper behavior — a priority that respects the role sexual harassment places on the safety and well-being of employees.
We are better than where we are now.
Originally published by The Business Journals
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