Sexual Harassment

52% of employed women say they have been the object of an unwelcome sexual advance or harassment, according to a WSJ/NBC poll. Management’s response has been so rapid and widespread, it is truly the mark of a paradigm shift. Sexual Harassment Training has begun with many industries instructing everyone to complete the sessions within a year. From his sessions, Diversity Consultant, Michael Welp reports in the NYT, “Some men are avoiding conversations and teamwork with women colleagues afraid that if they do one thing wrong they will be labeled a harasser and reported to HR. That leaves women out of conversations and collegial relationships that could help them advance.” Complicating matters is the always-on work culture that blur the lines between work and life. Women have made such huge strides in business, let’s hope the training sessions empower colleagues to immediately intervene and a recent poll suggests it will, “77% of men say they will speak out in the future if a woman is being treated unfairly.”