Is Your Company Culture a Breeding Ground for Sexual Harassment?

It may be time for a company check-up and to weed and feed your company foundation. Use these 6 checkpoints as a starting point.

Whether you want to or not, now is a perfect time to have a conversation with your leadership team about sexual harassment and its broader implications. And, if you need help with that, we'll be conducting a live webcast next week with a panel of experts -- and you're invited to join! (Click here for info.)

Not only is a candid conversation probably due, but it's a perfect time to talk about all the elements of an organization related to this issue. Those elements comprise your company culture and now is the perfect time to do an organizational check-up -- a "how are we doing" assessment.

Check-ups are useful. We all need one from time to time...and so do companies.

Doing an organizational check-up could be an incredibly valuable preventative measure to mitigate the growth of any harassment seeds currently planted.

Seeing Sexual Harassment Holistically - It's About Organizational Health

I wrote in a previous post that I see this issue as much as an emotional intelligence issue as a harassment issue. More broadly speaking, it really is a company culture issue as well.

In the work I do with human behavior in the context of business operations, there are certain company culture conditions that support the existence of harassment in all its forms. These conditions I help leaders address, by building their Human Quotient(tm) (functional understanding of human behavior), as they foster healthy, productive environments for optimal operational conditions.

So, in looking at your culture, here are some components to get you started as you think about conducting a "check-up"...and they may not be what you think. (Each of these could be a separate post of their own!)

1- Constructive Candor: constructive candor is an essential characteristic of a healthy company culture. Of course, this begins with managers and leaders being able to model this. Constructive candor suggests there is a freedom from fear of being honsest...that thoughts can be freely expressed without retribution or condemnation. Candor according to a great article by Judy Glaser and author of the fabulous book Conversational Intelligence, suggests candor builds trust. So how are your teams doing related to candor & trust?

2- The emotional intelligence of managers, leaders & team members: Of course in order to create an atmosphere of constructive candor and trust, leaders and team members need to have some level of functional emotional intelligence. This suggests the ability to be aware and care enough to willing respond appropriately.

So in the case of harassment, it would mean being responsive in a way to "nip events in the bud", educate those involved to prevent escalation where possible and/or for a team member to respond appropriately when a colleague says, " I don't feel comfortable with what you just said." or "No, I don't want to go out with you."

3- Clear reporting protocol: In many of the public interviews surrounding this topic, many suggested they didn't know what to do or whom to go to! Without a clear reporting protocol, hesitation or rationalization can reign and certainly exacerbate what could be a minor incident easily addressed. This also provides the safe place every employee needs to freely sort through an incident.b

By the way, this applies to managers as well. Ask most managers, "What would you do if..." Many if not most would not have an answer and that is certainly a breading opportunity!

4- Strong, intentional onboarding: let's be honest, if you treat sexual harassment training as an afterthought and not give it the attention it needs, that will be a reflection of how it's seen..."not that important." Leaving it to an e-learning module that anyone can "game" and it will not have the impact needed!

In my LinkedIn learning course, Managing Employee Problems, I mention several times the value of using onboarding to set behavior and performance expectations right in the beginning. This is your first chance to display the proper level of expectation, seriousness, and values in treating fellow employees.

5- A definitive, demonstrated leadership voice on company values: (of course this is assuming a company has established values). If you were to survey your staff right now and ask, "What do you think our leadership team stands for....what do they value?" What do you think would be the answers? Those answers are a key indicator of whether your company culture could be a breeding ground for harassment.

If answers don't include respect and appreciation of each employee, or something similar, I would be concerned.

If employees don't fell respected by managers or at least their direct report, there is a higher probably they will be disrespectful to others. It's almost like giving them permission to misbehave.

Even if your leadership team really does carry these values, it must mean the leadership team's voice is not loud and strong enough to consistently get the message across with clear, firm conviction -- leaving no doubt in any employees' mind where the leadership team stands.

Or if the answers are not what you'd like, perhaps the leaders are not "walking the talk."

6- Managers' & leaders' toleration levels: Ok this one is tough! This one can only be measured as situations are handled, yet it is absolutely essential to monitor. It has been the level of tolerations that have caused the crisis we have right now. Many situations were tolerated for far too long.

Too much toleration of an unhealthy thing for too long can make everyone sick!

As I suggested, these are just to start. I really think the best, most constructive way to address sexual harassment is through the lens of a healthy workplace culture, in a broad, holistic context. If nothing else, starting a conversation from this perspective will assist in addressing the more uncomfortable issues.

Our live webcast - Jan. 10th: 12:30 et - click here to learn more

Additional posts: Sexual Harassment - It's Time to Take Action // An Honest Conversation About Sexual Harassment

If you need help with any of the assessment points, we can help. Learn more about how we've helped others - click here.