How to Walk the Talk of Your No-Harassment and Diversity & Inclusion Policies in Business and at Work
I went to Google to do a just-for-fun search, and the story below popped up at the top of my Google news feed (clearly in response to my frequent / extensive searches on the topic of workplace harassment):
Reports: Riot Games Suspends COO
By Reuters
Riot Games recently handed chief operating officer Scott Gelb a two-month, unpaid suspension in response to his workplace harassment of employees, Kotaku reported Thursday.
ESPN subsequently received confirmation of the news from Riot Games.
Numerous employees maintained that Gelb often touched employees’ genitals and rear ends and farted in their faces.
Kotaku reported earlier this year that Riot Games’ workplace in Southern California was badly affected by a “bro-culture.” Both male and female employees singled out Gelb as a main perpetrator, and sexism within the company that developed League of Legends was alleged.
I was a bit taken aback. An executive touching employees’ genitals and rear ends (regardless of gender) is considered to be a form of the more egregious sexual harassment, grounds for immediate termination in New York state – and especially in California, which ranks as the most-employer-regulated state in the nation, with New York state running a close second to California. The company just announced the hiring of their first Chief People (HR) Officer the week before, which sounds like a long-overdue move by the company; she’ll certainly have her hands full.
Apparently, several of Riot’s employees were just as surprised as me:
According to the company’s statement, “As part of our ongoing commitment to evolving our culture, we are thoroughly investigating all claims through our established process. Per this process, outside legal counsel undertook an investigation of allegations about Scott Gelb. After carefully reviewing and considering the findings, the Special Committee of Riot’s Board of Directors determined that a two-month, unpaid leave of absence, along with training, was the appropriate action given the allegations that were substantiated.”
After news of Gelb’s suspension was announced, Kotaku interviewed several Riot Games employees who were unhappy with the punishment.
One employee, who asked to remain anonymous due to concerns about a company backlash, told Kotaku, “For Riot leadership, protecting their awful friends matters more than protecting their vulnerable employees. And that isn’t going to change unless the workers do something about it directly.”
(Source: New York Times & Reuters)
There are more than a few employer pointers in this cautionary news story:
- An executive leader touching employees’ genitals and rear ends – regardless of the gender of the employee – is grounds for immediate termination, as it constitutes sexual battery, a misdemeanor to a felony, depending in what state it takes place. A call to the police by the employees affected is a complementary corrective action to ensure that is does not happen again.
- The less-than-severe corrective action of 2 months unpaid suspension and training is reminiscent of the mistakes made by The Weinstein Companies’ Board of Directors.
- Employers do not have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that harassment has taken place – only that a 51% chance or more is sufficient grounds for immediate termination of an act of workplace harassment which is also sexual battery.
- The less-than-severe corrective action for the acts of harassment above completely contradicts and eviscerates the company’s Diversity and Inclusion efforts.
- It can swiftly kill morale as well as employee and customer recruitment and retention.
How will you effectively walk the talk of your No-Harassment and Diversity & Inclusion policies to support the success of the entire organization, in business and at work?
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