#Metoo and an Unexpected Consequence in the Workforce

How recent survey data shows that such a positive movement has created an unexpected challenge.

The #Metoo campaign has done amazing things to raise awareness of sexual harassment in the workplace. Something that every organisation has a responsibility to put an end to, whatever the industry.

It’s a subject charged with passion and emotion and constantly in the news; be it the support demonstrated at the BAFTAs or the post harassment allegations surfacing for Shaun White as he won his third Olympic Gold last week in the Winter Games.

The movement began in October last year after actress Alyssa Milano tweeted, 'If you have been sexually harassed or assaulted write 'me too' as a reply to this tweet'.

The hashtag was then tweeted almost a million times in 48 hours.

It‘s now spread in to a global movement with brave women from all corners of the world sharing harrowing stories of sexual abuse and harassment online. The impact #MeToo has had to raise awareness and create action to stop this terrible problem is amazing and demonstrates the incredible power of the social community.

The working world is becoming a better place for it.

However, recent data collected in a survey by the not for profit organisation Lean In (their mission is to empower women to achieve their ambitions) and Survey Monkey has shown an unexpected consequence.

From such positivity has risen a problem in the working population, and one that needs immediate consideration. The results from the data collected showed that twice as many men now feel uncomfortable working alone with a woman and Lean In believes this could actually hinder female progress. A point they feel strongly about with Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook’s COO and the LeanIn.org Founder) spearheading a new initiative #MentorHer committing men to action and harnessing the benefits of mentorship for women.

The data went deeper to show almost half of the male managers surveyed are now uncomfortable participating in a common work activity with a woman or socialising together.

Since the media coverage on sexual harassment, the number of men who would shy away from actively mentoring a woman has more than tripled. Practical repercussions of this data are that women will miss out on opportunity, leadership and career guidance from the disproportionate amount of men in Senior leadership positions (yes, another problem)*.

There lies the paradoxical situation that employers must find a way out of, and fast.

Employers must focus now on developing a comprehensive plan for supporting and advancing women. The most talented people in organisations must advance. Whoever they are and wherever they come from.

Awareness of these issues is at an all time high because of the #MeToo campaign and the good it’s done. We now need ensure this remains positive for women and doesn’t, as Arianna Huffington (prominent business leader and Co-Founder of the Huffington post) said, lead to “a huge step in the wrong direction”.

* In the Mckinsey 2017 Women in the Workplace study of 82 companies employing more than 70,000 people only 1 in 10 senior leaders are women.


Links:
#MentorHer https://leanin.org/mentor-her/
7 Tips for Men who want to Support Equality https://leanin.org/tips/mvp
Survey Results https://leanin.org/sexual-harassment-backlash-survey-results/