HARASSMENT: COMPLIANCE, LIABILITY, REDRESS

Employment Harassment (from the Boardroom to the Courtroom)

A failure to uphold the fundamental right to a safe and respectful work environment

Harassment at work means when someone does or says things that bother or upset others, making the workplace feel quite unwelcoming. This includes sexual harassment, racial harassment, and bullying among other types. This kind of behavior can come from a boss, a coworker, a group of people at work, or even someone who isn’t employed there, like a customer.

In the early 1990s, the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace gained significant public attention when Anita Hill, a law professor, testified that she had been sexually harassed by Clarence Thomas, a nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court. Despite her testimony, Thomas was confirmed to the court.

A few decades later, in 2016, Roger Ailes, the then CEO of Fox News, was forced to resign after multiple women, including anchor Gretchen Carlson, accused him of sexual harassment.

Building on these events, the #MeToo movement emerged in 2017 after film producer Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexual harassment and assault. This movement quickly spread globally, spotlighting similar issues across various industries and prompting calls for significant changes in corporate policies and culture to better address and prevent harassment.