After #MeToo
CAN COMPANIES REPAIR THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN?
Most men want to do the right thing, but without these workplace relationships, women will be denied career advancement and leadership opportunities. These opportunities are vital to correcting the toxic habits that created a need for #MeToo to exist in the first place. How can we create strong relationships without crossing the line? When in doubt, ask the women. “Women, particularly in senior leadership, have a responsibility to truly step up and lead and show the vision of what we want our company culture to be,” Mellard says. Schultz agrees with this sentiment, stating, “We are being challenged to rethink everything. But most people react with a sense of respect for the other person. If women react with what is acceptable to them, they may solve some problems. In the professional environment, we have to instill confidence for the recipient of an action to say, ‘I don’t appreciate that behavior; here’s where the guardrails are.’ ... If women are made aware of this duty, it can work.” This isn’t to say that women are solely responsible for educating their male colleagues. Each company is responsible for addressing their own issues and equipping employees with the tools to prevent and address problems. The good news is that this seems to be happening. In that same Survey Monkey/ LeanIn.org poll, 70% of employees said their company has taken action to reduce sexual harassment; in 2018, that number was just 46%. There are many problems in the American workplace that have been allowed to fester for a long time. In this moment, companies have the opportunity to both address that harm and chart a future that will allow all employees the chance for success.
It’s been over a year since The New York Times published the story on Harvey Weinstein, exposing the serious problem of sexual harassment in Hollywood and sparking the #MeToo movement. Has anything changed in that time? The answer is clearly yes, though not all of these changes are for the better. A Survey Monkey/LeanIn.org poll of 5,182 men, published in May of 2019, found that 60% of men say they “hesitate to commit to 1:1 time with women.” This includes mentoring, socializing, and having one-on-one meetings. The response was up 14% from last year. This increase is believed to be a direct result of #MeToo. SueAnn Schultz, chief administrative officer, litigation counsel, and secretary at IMA Financial Group, believes that men are afraid of being falsely accused.
In an effort to protect themselves, many men, even those who are not “part of the problem,” have distanced themselves from female colleagues. Unfortunately, this response can be damaging to women in the workplace. Nancy Mellard, executive vice president and general counsel at CBIZ Benefits & Insurance Services Division discussed this problem in an interview with “Leader’s Edge.” “Those person-to-person relationships are critically important to success — success might be closing the deal or getting your next promotion,” says Mellard. “There is a level of caution. Relationships are not being created as they need to be.”
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