Unless you have been living in a cave for the last month, you have heard about the sexual misconduct allegations against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. The story has all of the makings of a Hollywood blockbuster, except this time it’s not a movie. Here’s why it should also raise the curtain for employers outside of Tinseltown.

Why the Harvey Weinstein Scandal Should Scare the Pants Off EmployersRising Tide of Allegations Will Result in Increased Scrutiny

The Weinstein allegations have triggered an avalanche of claims against Hollywood stars, celebrity chefs, executives and politicians unlike anything in recent memory. The EEOC has weighed in with renewed interest in harassment claims, seizing upon an opportunity to publicize the issue. Those who use their workplace positions to make unwelcome sexual advances deserve to be called out for their misconduct. To be clear, this post is not for them. However, the sheer number of allegations regarding misconduct that occurred years ago and were never reported poses a real problem for conscientious employers. What does this mean for employers who face fallout for this kind of misconduct?

First, employers will have to deal with increased administrative interest. Undoubtedly, the EEOC will more carefully scrutinize claims of harassment and increase litigation efforts against companies alleged to harbor harassers, especially in the C-suite. Second, litigation could get tougher. Juries and courts may be more inclined to believe that alleged harassment occurred and to disbelieve denials by an accused executive and by extension his or her employer. In short, we will likely see an increase in claims, so what can employers do?

An Ounce of Prevention

You have heard it before but it bears repeating. While employers can’t stop employees from acting badly, they can take steps to try to prevent bad conduct and to properly address it when brought to their attention.

  • Review your policies. Any employer reading this almost certainly has a policy against harassment or discrimination, but far too often we see employers with cut and paste policies gleaned from another company or pulled off the internet that don’t really align with their workplace. You need clear, well-thought-out policies that your employees understand. Be sure the policy explains what harassment is and encourages people to report it.
  • Identify the right person to receive complaints. A policy merely advising employees to report harassment to their immediate supervisor, who has little or no training in how to identify or address harassment, often proves of limited help. Think about who is best to receive allegations about harassment and to properly address them and draft your policy to match. Clear policies with carefully crafted reporting procedures (perhaps supplemented with a third-party hotline option) can help.
  • Distribute the policy. A policy buried in a handbook, with no stand-alone employee acknowledgment, can be portrayed as mere words on the page with no real meaning. Worse still, employees may claim (sometimes truthfully) that they never received or read it. A policy given to employees and acknowledged in writing is critical.
  • Training, training, and more training. The again obvious, but often overlooked or sporadically implemented, additional step is education and training. For those of you in states that require annual training, make sure you do it and document it. For the rest of the country, have annual training of management in EEOC matters and trends. Add training of HR staff in how to identify, investigate and address allegations. Make sure your supervisors can identify harassment and know what to do when they see it or get a complaint. Educate employees in the company’s reporting procedures and make sure they understand that the company will not tolerate retaliation for a complaint. Finally, implement the training in a manner that avoids the holes created by employee and supervisory turnover.

Again, all of this sounds obvious but it can mean the difference between preventing harassment in your workplace and being found liable for the bad acts of people who you thought knew better.