In the months since #MeToo began trending in social media, advancements have been made. There is greater awareness about sexual harassment. Bill Cosby has been convicted of sexual assault.
However, not much has changed in the workplace. In fact, men are hesitant to interact with women in the workplace for fear of harassment accusations.
No one wants friendliness to be perceived as flirtation or harassment. About one-third of male managers are concerned about meeting with women alone for mentoring or bonding.
Formal mentorships can bridge the gap between the sexes. Women can maintain a paper trail and ask specific work-related questions when seeking advice from male managers.
If a man is nervous about an accidental sexual harassment, he isn’t likely to be a harasser. Remember that Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby didn’t accidentally harm their accusers.
If you are harassed, speak to human resources, your boss or the harasser’s boss. Sexual harassment is about power.
Listen as Dr. Kim Elsesser joins Dr. Pamela Peeke to discuss the impact of #MeToo on sexual harassment, how to interact with the opposite sex in the workplace without worry, and what to do if you are harassed.
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Encore Episode: Sexual Harassment
Featuring:
Kim Elsesser, PhD, is the author of Sex and the Office: Women, Men and the Sex Partition that’s Dividing the Workplace.
Kim Elsesser, PhD
Kim Elsesser, PhD, is the author of Sex and the Office: Women, Men and the Sex Partition that’s Dividing the Workplace. She’s a lecturer at UCLA where she teaches classes on psychology and gender. Dr. Elsesser has a blog on Forbes.com and has published in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and the Guardian and has discussed gender issues on television on Fox News America Live, and radio on NPR’s Talk of the Nation, BBC World News, and Jenny McCarthy’s Dirty, Sexy, Funny. She was one of CNN’s "Most Intriguing People of the Day" and has been cited in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Sunday Times (London), Bloomberg Magazine, Salon.com, and Elle magazine among others.
Her research on gender and work was partly inspired by her experiences as a quantitative equity trader while employed at Morgan Stanley. She holds a PhD in Psychology from UCLA, two graduate degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and an undergraduate degree from Vassar College.
Her research on gender and work was partly inspired by her experiences as a quantitative equity trader while employed at Morgan Stanley. She holds a PhD in Psychology from UCLA, two graduate degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and an undergraduate degree from Vassar College.