July 12, 2019
Ariel D. Weindling

As the #MeToo movement recently celebrated its one-year anniversary, it is an appropriate time to review strategies for eliminating a plague that corporate America has suffered for decades: intolerable behavior by powerful people in our workplace.

According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC):

  • 75 percent of individuals who experience harassment never report it; and
  • 70 percent of the victims who do report, experience some sort of retaliation from their employers.

Harassment Prevention

Let those numbers sink in — they are astonishing. Harassment prevention training has done very little to remedy this problem. Hotlines are relatively useless, while HR departments are not sufficiently equipped with state-of-the-art modern tools to facilitate and handle reports of misconduct, despite the best intentions of HR folks. Without a simple reporting system in place (that also can deter adverse conduct), employers will never know what is actually happening in their workplace and will never be able to create a safe and healthy work environment for all.

Employment Law & Workplace Misconduct

After practicing employment law for 13 years, and watching case after case of workplace misconduct unfold, it appeared to me that something different is needed to prevent workplace misconduct, a means to give victims a voice, and to bring a higher level of accountability to reporting, while empowering companies to more accurately and properly address instances of workplace misconduct.

The problem we need to solve is how to get from #MeToo to #NotMe so people no longer have to say #MeToo because we successfully have been able to impact behaviors and change the culture.

Like many other men, I have been inspired by the #MeToo movement and the strength displayed by the survivors and victims who spoke up.

Are you a sexual harassment survivor?

I consulted a number of psychologists to better understand the mindset of survivors of harassment and I spoke with persons I knew who were victims of harassment. From my research, it became apparent that many women — no matter how powerful, famous or respected — all too often did not know how to react to harassment, felt ashamed about the experience, and did not have a support group to help them deal with the emotional impact of their experience. Instead of reporting, they attempted to move on with their lives. They worried that because they did not have a platform and supporters behind them, they feared they would suffer financially from the fallout. For those reasons and others, many never reported the workplace misconduct. This is simply unacceptable.

After speaking with a wide range of HR personnel, employment lawyers, and survivors of harassment, it seemed apparent that America’s work culture is in need of an epic paradigm shift. As seen from a variety of perspectives, we know that rote harassment training, agency complaints, and lawsuits do not end the workplace misconduct and harassment that a large number of women and others experience. In large part, this is because of negative workplace cultural norms that have been tolerated for too long. Many feel intimidated and frightened about the potential consequences of highlighting inappropriate behavior and actions.

A Modern Digital Employee Hotline

The first step in shifting the conversation from #MeToo to the empowered #NotMe is, from my standpoint, I think that progress will be made only when we succeed in removing the “us against them” mentality. Employers and employees need to work together if we are going to break this cycle; we need to realize that when workplace harassment and bias end, it is a win-win for all parties. So, how might this be approached? Our answer is to equip employees with a fast, easy, and discreet way to report workplace misconduct and encourage them to use it. When we create an environment where individuals are empowered to speak up against harassment, where they do not have to fear to lose their jobs, where anonymity (under certain conditions) is eliminated and all parties are held equally accountable, we send a clear message that harassment is being taken seriously. In doing this, we ignite three powerful changes:

  • Instances of misconduct are no longer swept under the rug;
  • Victims are more empowered to be transparent in their reporting, and
  • We think that what is needed is a new atmosphere, that makes instances of harassment less likely to occur in the first place.

With easy and protected reporting, harassers — not victims — are identified, more easily investigated in a timely manner, and face consequences. Harassers — not victims — should be the ones fearful of losing their jobs; victims should feel empowered and protected in raising their concerns.

No one should ever have to say #MeToo again because today #TimesUp.

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Ariel D. Weindling, CEO and Founder of #NotMe

Ariel is a Los Angeles-based entrepreneur, a leading employment lawyer and an advocate for greater equality, safety, and transparency in the workplace. His passion for equality led him to create #NotMe: an app and AI-powered platform that gives all employees a safe, unbiased way to report workplace misconduct, while guiding employers to take swift and appropriate action.

Ariel has trained hundreds of employees on the subjects of sexual harassment, discrimination and bullying. After fifteen years handling a litany of cases involving harassment and discrimination and watching instances of workplace misconduct constantly repeat themselves, Ariel realized that corporate America was in need of a major paradigm shift. As the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements continue to steamroll through the collective consciousness of America, Ariel, along with a team of high-profile advisors, found himself in a unique position to help turn these movements into action, thus he created #NotMe

Ariel has a vision of a world in which his own children will inherit a workplace environment that is safe and equal, allowing them to freely thrive while accomplishing their own dreams.

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