Tag: Discrimination

Listening to Harassment

In the past week, we’ve learned about Harvey Weinstein.  Much like Roger Ailes, Bill O’Reilly, Bill Cosby, and others, the conduct perpetrated by Mr. Weinstein is horrific and devastating.  Questions like “how did this go on for so long” or “why didn’t the women speak up” are natural, but these miss the fundamental point – this happened.  The conduct was ignored or even facilitated by others for so long.

What if you were HR at the Weinstein Company?  What if a brave woman came to you and explained what had happened?  What would you do?  After listening to many, many stories of sexual harassment, here’s my advice to the HR pro when someone walks into your office with a story of harassment:

  1. Listen. Seriously.  Yes, you’re going to have to take notes, but the first goal is to listen.  Take the time to give the person in your office your undivided attention as she or he gets the story out the way they planned to tell you.  A lot of the person’s brain has been totally consumed with how to tell you.
  2. Give the person space. Telling someone about harassment is hard.  Really, really hard.  Shame and lack of self-confidence are so undermined by harassment that finding the courage to tell you, even if they know you well, takes significant effort.  Let the person get the story out how she or he wants to get it out.  Try not to interrupt.
  3. Have tissues. Yes, it is cliché, but trust me, having a box of tissues nearby never hurt anyone, and often, it is a simple offer of tissues that will provide comfort even though you cannot agree with the person.
  4. Explain your role. After you’ve heard the story the way the person wanted to tell you, explain you will have to start an investigation.  During the investigation, you won’t be able to “take sides,” but you will do your best to gather the necessary facts, listen to people with information, and be as thorough as possible.  Tell the person you may hire an outside investigator.
  5. Go through the facts. Explain that because you need information, you will have to ask a bunch of questions even though it might be painful.  (You can empathize that it is painful.  That’s okay.) Then go through the story again.  Ask questions.  Ask for dates, times, and who else she or he thinks you should talk to.  You won’t be able to keep things 100% confidential because you need to investigate – tell the person this.
  6. Take notes. Once you’ve been through your role, you should start taking notes. Please take thorough notes.  If this gets to litigation or a New Yorker story, your notes are going to be placed in front of you on numerous occasions.  Make sure you understand them and can explain them.
  7. Thank. Please thank the person for bringing this information to you.  Thank them for spending the time to do it and the emotional energy.

These are just tips on how to hear about it.  There are so many other things you will need to do after you’ve listened.  Talking to your manager, taking timely and appropriate action, taking a look at your harassment training, and many other things may be what you will do.

As HR folk, we have obligations – not only to our organizations and the people we work with – we have an obligation to our profession.  The New York Times investigation included assessments of the Weinstein Company HR department as weak and ineffective.   We can change that.  We do good for organizations when we speak up, investigate, and facilitate effective actions that prevent and stop this behavior.  We can do it.

Photo by Zhen Hu on Unsplash

Kate1 Comment

Mr. Damore’s Folly

Yesterday, Google terminated a Googler who wrote a “manifesto” against “Google’s Ideological Echo Chamber.”  This is not surprising.  That said, the belief that Google only did so because of its “politically correct monoculture,” either fails to see the significant problems in the memo or intentionally glosses over them because of the hatred of political correctness.  Either way, we have some things to talk about.

Argh!  Stereotypes

James Damore’s memo has some jaw-dropping gender stereotypes about women (and a few about minorities).  They are more agreeable, women gravitate towards people-issues rather than coding, women don’t measure success the same way men do, women are not as ambitious, among others.  These stereotypes are woefully exaggerated.  Adam Grant, a Wharton Professor of Management and Psychology, wrote a great piece on the studies showing many of the stereotypes Mr. Damore cited and relied upon are not true.

We’ve known for a long time that stereotyping is bad.  It leads to discrimination, and discrimination leads to lawsuits and bad (sometimes really bad) PR.  Retaining Mr. Damore would have meant that Google could be on the hook for any discrimination he could have a hand in whether that discrimination occurred in the past or future.  Since Google (like many other employers) interviews in teams, this is a liability and not a small one.  (Not to mention the significant gender discrimination action Google is currently fighting with the OFCCP… but I digress.)

Argh!  Political Correctness

It is totally okay to dislike political correctness.  It is totally okay to define political correctness as someone telling a half truth or failing to speak plainly.  Political correctness is not using shortcuts – like inappropriate and untrue stereotypes – to make a point.  It is not okay to say that stereotypes are simply true and we should all just “get over it” in the name of ending political correctness.  How Mr. Damore couched his message told his co-workers that they are less than, that they will never be as good as him, that they have a place but it isn’t here.  That is never a message anyone (employee, employer, human) should send.

Everybody

Mr. Damore is right about one thing – an effective workplace has everybody.  The individuals and organizations that buy products and services incorporate everybody, so we should reflect the world around us.  That is what diversity and inclusion initiatives are designed to do, bring and keep everyone into the workplace.  Sometimes, we focus efforts on a particular group that is underrepresented because they are underrepresented.  Sometimes, we mind our own business as to what bathroom people are using.  Sometimes, we make an effort to hear the voices of others.  (Insert “rising tide floats all boats” quote.)  We try to include everybody not only because it is the right thing to do, but it is the best business decision to make.

Mr. Damore’s naiveté (and arguably something else) has gotten in the way of this.  He’s right, we have to make room for conservative, liberal, libertarian, socialist, and every other point on the political spectrum.  But we do this because it’s good for business.  Google’s own research shows that teams of different people – different thought processes, different personality types, different genders – make better teams when they work to make sure everyone feels psychologically safe.   We know that having diverse perspectives mean we make better decisions, we develop better products, we do better.

It’s what every employer should be trying to do.

Mr. Damore told Bloomberg that he was fired for advancing gender stereotypes, which he unmistakably did in his memo by stating them as truths.  The correct response was to terminate him.  Mr. Damore told a New York Times reporter that he will likely take legal action over his termination.  Nevermind the fact that there is no such thing as “free speech” in the workplace.

P.S.  I am raising two white men.  I understand the feeling that they might not get to participate in certain activities because they are white boys.  But that is nothing – nothing – compared to the decades, centuries, that women and minorities have been locked or pushed out.  My guys just have more competition.  Competition is truly a capitalist principle.  So, bring it on!

 

Photo by João Silas on Unsplash

Kate3 Comments