Washington, DC Employment Law Blog

Corporate and political jobs in D.C. are often dominated by men. While men are becoming increasingly accustomed to seeing women in the workplace, this may only serve to make women a threat. In the sentiment of "boys will be boys" men often respond to this threat with aggression, including sexual aggression. This may not always include physical actions, but men may convey this aggression through words or gestures.

Some organizations -- whether voluntarily or through inaction -- perpetuate a culture where men may feel entitled to not just the top positions but the women at work. This becomes a strong precursor to sexual harassment. According to MarketWatch, there has been a 14% increase in sexual harassment claims filed in 2018 with the Equal Employment Commission. While men do get sexually harassed too, the overwhelming majority of victims are women. Also, many men often harass other men.

Many companies in D.C. fear whistleblowers. They believe that with one word in the wrong ear, a whistleblower can take down an entire company that was previously thriving. While whistleblowers certainly may do this, a CNBC article says that they also help their companies to perform better. But how?

It really boils down to the level of priority a company places on integrity. If the priority is high, this should reflect in making proper channels available for employees to make illegal or unethical activities known. This may help companies to take action internally before any corporate scandal, lawsuit or external investigation by law enforcement occurs and decide on a strategy.

When the #MeToo movement first took off in America, it mostly tackled the entertainment industry in Hollywood. Men in power were exposed for habitually taking advantage of younger women seeking fame or success. It soon spread into corporate and politics, thus making its way to D.C. and even The White House itself.

Forbes notes that it was only a matter of time before awareness of sexual harassment hit corporate environments. Statistics now show that regardless of geography or industry, women face high rates of sexual harassment all around the world. Up to 102 million women in the European Union and 33.6 million women in the U.S. have experienced sexual harassment.

All Americans have the right to a workplace that's safe and free from discrimination. When your employer violates that right, you can file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). But what happens then?

According to a recent article in Vox, the answer is more and more often: Nothing. While the U.S. workforce has doubled since the 1980s, the EEOC budget has remained flat. The agency doesn't have enough staff, and the staff it has have struggled to keep up with the cases they receive. At the same time, the EEOC has faced pressure from Congress to push through its backlog of cases. The result? EEOC members have filed a growing number of cases into its lowest priority category-and then closed those cases without ever investigating them.