People just can't seem to stop talking about sexual harassment. And all this talk doesn't seem to be helping to reduce the number of reported incidents. Each news story about the latest man to be accused of sexual misconduct against a woman in the workplace seems to open a new floodgate to more stories. While most can agree gender equality in the workplace has slowly improved over time, we still have a long way to go when it comes to stopping incidents of harassment before they start.

Back in the “Mad Men”-era days, when all workplace decision-makers were men who could sip on scotch and smoke cigarettes at their desks while giving their female secretaries menial tasks to complete around the office, gender roles in the workplace were defined and pretty much accepted. Based on stories my mom has told me about her on-the-job experiences in New York City in the early 1970s, women were valued more for their looks than their expertise, men openly made inappropriate comments about their female employees, and nobody did anything about it. And the behavior began before the women even stepped foot in a workplace. In a job interview for a flight attendant position, mom was asked to step on a scale to see if she was “within the accepted weight range.” In another example, one of mom's girlfriends was interviewed in a bar and offered an office position without being asked about her qualifications.

With men traditionally holding positions of power, woman have had to work harder to reach their career goals. That sometimes meant putting themselves in uncomfortable positions with the males in their workplaces who ultimately made the decisions about their careers.

For years, women silently accepted this reality. Now, with the rise of the #MeToo movement, they're no longer having it. They're pissed off, and all the men who disrespected them – and perhaps their mothers and grandmothers too – over the years are going to know about it.

As I've been following the news about accused sexual harassers since last fall and discussing the topic with friends and coworkers, a few questions – and I may be criticized for asking them – have come to mind: How is this rage-filled public backlash against sexual harassers, all of whom are men, affecting the men who are innocent bystanders? Is this “hatred of harassers” turning into an unjustified “hatred of men,” leading men to question their every move around women in fear of being accused? And is the definition of “harassment” being stretched out of bounds?

You may have heard the recent story involving actor and comedian Aziz Ansari, in which an anonymous woman was interviewed for a story on Babe.net about her brief relationship with Ansari. In the story, the woman accused Ansari of assaulting her, when in fact, according to her detailed account, it appeared she engaged in consensual sexual activity with Ansari in his apartment at the end of a date, despite feeling pressured to do so and giving “nonverbal cues” that she wasn't ready for it. Of course, this isn't an example of workplace harassment, but it's still a reminder that a line should be drawn between true harassment and an awkward encounter in which the female was a willing participant (which is how a lot of first dates end these days). And when would it be acceptable for a man to report harassment by a female coworker? This question came to mind when a guy friend described an incident to me in which his female coworker had too much to drink at a holiday party, and began putting her arms around him and hitting on him. He said while this annoyed him, he didn't consider it harassment and never considered reporting it. However, if their roles had been reversed, he said, he was certain she would have reported him for harassment.

Some men may feel more targeted than they have in the past, and some women may be making false or exaggerated accusations. Women are also making men out to be clueless about what qualifies as harassment. A recent issue of Cosmopolitan actually published an article about how not to be a sexual harasser and urged readers to share it with the men in their lives. I don't know about you, but I don't think a man should have to study an article to know whether or not he's harassing a woman.

Regardless of your views on the subject, now is a good time for your credit union to review its sexual harassment policies and implement ones that will deter potential harassers from crossing the line and allow accusers to feel comfortable coming forward. Our sister publication, BenefitsPRO, recommended these tips in a November 2017 article, “How to Avoid the Pitfalls of a Bad Sexual Harassment Policy”:

Treat every accused harasser equally. Companies may be hesitant to terminate a high-profile person for harassment (think Harvey Weinstein and Bill O'Reilly) because losing them would cost the company money. But keeping the harasser on board could cost the company in other ways.

Examine your nondisclosure agreements. “Nondisclosure agreements can be used to protect employers' intellectual property and other trade secrets but should not be used to keep victims from reporting illegal activity,” according to BenefitsPRO.

Make employee policies crystal clear. Policies should explain what employees' rights are in the workplace and define what is and isn't prohibited conduct. They should also detail multiple ways in which victims can report harassment.

Clarify your response policy. Conduct a thorough investigation before responding to a claim, and define the next steps to take if the claim is valid.

How has the spotlight on harassment in the news affected employees at your credit union? What actions has your HR department taken to improve or enforce your policies? Despite this being an uncomfortable topic, we think discussions around it are beneficial, so feel free to shoot me an email.

Natasha Chilingerian is managing editor for CU Times. She can be reached at nchilingerian@cutimes.com.

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Has Sexual Harassment Mania Gone Too Far?

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