The Drama-Free Workplace

2 Why Is Sexual Harassment Still a Thing and What We Must Do to Fix It

You’ve probably read at least one story this week involving allegations of workplace sexual harassment. From banking to entertainment, from media to tech and beyond, powerhouse men in almost every industry have been brought down because their workplace harassment was exposed. As we watch well-known figures fall, questions of “why” and “who knew what, when” swirl.

While the task of taking steps to prevent harassment isn’t easy, too many companies have taken an approach that has made it infinitely harder than it needs to be.

In a nutshell, here is the drumbeat of “solutions” we’ve heard for decades: Review and distribute your policy prohibiting sexual harassment; republish your promise of zero-tolerance and a harassment-free workplace; slap together a compliance training session to “teach” managers about unlawful harassment; train managers to document everything, have a witness for everything they do, run every decision by HR; and . . . well, you get the idea.

These “solutions” have failed. Miserably.

It’s time to explore new ways to solve the issue and reduce workplace drama.

Allegations of sexual harassment take many forms and include claims by men. However, the overwhelming majority of sexual harassment claims have two characteristics in common: they are brought by women, and the accusation is against a man in a position of greater power. For that reason, while recognizing that this is not always the case, ...