What Does Workplace Sexual Harassment Say About Your Corporate Culture?
ETHIX360 is headquartered right outside Charlotte, NC. Hurricane Florence has been compared to Hurricane Hugo, which hit Charlotte in 1989. I remember the impact Hugo had on Charlotte and my neighborhood. I knew many people who didn’t think Hugo would hit Charlotte and there was no need to prepare – they were wrong. The mentality of, it won’t happen to us, is a presumptuous and potentially dangerous way of thinking.
This attitude of “it won’t happen to me… to us” is often called optimism bias. People blindly believe that “it” won’t happen to them or “it” wouldn’t happen at their company. And unfortunately, the “it” within many companies can be the denial that workplace sexual harassment would ever occur within their organization.
Just because you say something won’t happen doesn’t mean that’s how things will work out. The growing list of people accused of sexual misconduct since Weinstein shows that companies' cultures aren’t as healthy and prepared as they think.
When an organization has allegations of workplace sexual harassment, it is a symptom of a broken corporate culture that doesn’t foster an environment that values human dignity. Companies committed to building and maintaining a corporate culture that values human dignity turn words like moral decency, honor, character, and integrity into actions. And those actions must start with leadership and management to successfully disseminate throughout the organization. The tone at the top and the top at the middle establish a company’s guiding values and, ultimately, the culture that holds it together or tears it apart.
Once the leadership has opened their eyes and the veil of optimism bias has been lifted, then an organization can start building a corporate culture that is designed to combat sexual misconduct and ultimately protect their employees and the reputation of their company.
Hear From Us
On September 23rd, J Rollins, ETHIX360 Founder and CEO, and I will be presenting at the SCCE’s 17th Annual Compliance and Ethics Institute. We will share what it takes to protect your employees and your organization from sexual misconduct like workplace sexual harassment and how to get your C-suite to champion your efforts. If you’re attending the conference, we’d love for you to attend our session or stop by the ETHIX360 tradeshow booth. If you cannot attend the SCCE conference but would like a copy of our presentation, email me, and I’m happy to share it.
And for those of you in the path of Hurricane Florence, don’t be one of those people that thinks they don’t need to prepare. Remember, it is better to be prepared for something that may never happen than not be prepared for it when it does happen. Click here for more information on how to prepare for a hurricane.
The ETHIX360 blog brings you weekly updates on all things human resources and compliance.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Stephanie Farmer is a seasoned ethics and compliance (E&C) professional. She has earned an MA in both Business and Professional and Applied Ethics and is a graduate of The Ethics & Compliance Initiative Managing Ethics in an Organization Program. Prior to and during her E&C career, Stephanie served in the United States Marine Corps Reserves and the North Carolina Air National Guard.
ABOUT ETHIX360
At ETHIX360, our goal is simple: to provide an affordable, flexible, and comprehensive answer to employee communication, policy management, corporate training and case management on issues related to corporate ethics, code of conduct, fraud, bribery, and workplace violence.
