A current Microsoft employee email chain reveals girls sharing episodes of discrimination and sexual harassment, and today the company best human resources executive is acting.
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Harassment, while 119 stated they had been victims of sex discrimination. Three women said they had pregnancy discrimination, and eight girls claimed they had been retaliated against because they whined about their work situations. The lawsuit also clarified the air at Microsoft as a beaus club.
Inquiry Leads to Mail Chain
The email chain began on March 20, when a female employee who had been stuck at the exact same job for six years asked about how to maneuver in the Microsoft company. 1 woman claimed she was given simple tasks on one project that included booking hotel rooms and taking notes at meetings. Another woman claimed she was on a business trip with a man working for a partner company who threatened to kill her if she didn't perform sexual acts. When she reported the incident to Human Resources (HR), she was told the man was just flirting, and there was nothing they could do since he didn't work for Microsoft.
A senior-level female employee who earned the name of Microsoft Partner claimed that she was asked to sit on the lap of another employee in a meeting before colleagues and HR. When she cried and cited business policy, the man making the request said he did not have to listen to the coverage and repeated his request that she sit on his lap. Employees commented that they found the thread educational and empowering.
Use of Derogatory Names
Apparently, using derogatory language at Microsoft toward female employees happened often. Girls on the ribbon claimed the use of derogatory names against them was pervasive at the provider. A female engineer who had worked at other significant firms said that wasn't something that she had elsewhere, but it was common at Microsoft.
Human Resources Responds
The female head of HR at Microsoft is taking the claims made on the email thread quite seriously. She and the senior leadership team were sad and appalled that employees were dealing with these issues. She informed people who suffered these demeaning experiences to contact her directly so that she can investigate the situation personally.
Sexual harassment has happened in the office for so long as men and women have worked together, but the #MeToo movement marks a sharp breaking point.
Strong men have lost their jobs as a result of sexual harassment. In addition, local and state government
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Initiated a variety of new laws for combatting sexual harassment at work.
New Laws in Place
Since many anti-sexual harassment laws have happened on the state and local level, it is very important that employers and employees are aware of what constitutes sexual harassment. Businesses are mandated to put anti-sexual harassment policies and coaching programs set up. For a company, which means such obligations are public, and all employees, including future employees, can understand the circumstances, as well as business partners, shareholders, and clients. Public disclosure incentivizes companies to make sure no form of sexual harassment is tolerated and criminals are dealt with as quickly as possible. When confidentiality arrangements are set up, sexual harassers will continue to act inappropriately and not suffer consequences.
Promoting General Civility
Treating other people as you want to be treated is a historical idea. Too many companies focus on the legal accountability surrounding sexual harassment and fail to promote an atmosphere of general civility in their workplaces. A holistic approach to sexual harassment involves training policies and programs. Just when employees respect each other and proactively work to prevent sexual harassment at work will this kind of behavior become something of the past.
Speech All Harassment
While sexual harassment receives the most attention, employers anti-harassment policies and training must also include other forms of harassment. This includes age, race, disability, ethnicity, and religion. Employer policies and training should make it clear that no kind of harassment is acceptable at work, and reporting procedures must prove straightforward.
In case you experienced sexual harassment or discrimination at work, an expert sexual harassment lawyer can assist.